Clare now dependent on others to continue Under 20 campaign

Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Round 4
Cork 1-24 Clare 0-22

Clare will have to depend on their Shannonside neighbours to do them a favour this Friday if they are to continue their Munster Under 20 Championship bid after being sucker-punched by a late Cork surge in Cusack Park on Wednesday evening.
In complete contrast to the previous evening’s minor clash between the same sides in Sixmilebridge, this time it was Cork that stepped up sufficiently coming down the final straight to finally see off their stubborn hosts.
A Ben Cunningham goal in the 55th minute proved the clinching score that Clare simply couldn’t recover from, having battled gamefully throughout a seesaw second period.
With the sides level eight times in the second half alone and never more than a point separating the sides in either direction, it seemed as if Clare were destined for a third draw of the campaign.
That narrative altered however when Eoin Downey’s defensive free was superbly caught and offloaded by David Cremin to Cunningham who flicked the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Aaron Shanahan to finally out clear daylight between the sides.
It was a cruel twist but one which wouldn’t have mattered had Clare been more clinical from frees over the hour. After all, seven of their ten wides stemmed from placed balls through two different freetakers, an issue that has dogged Clare’s campaign from the outset.
And yet, even taking into account those timely frustrating misses, eleven different scorers combined to put Clare on the brink of qualification to the last three, something which is still on the cards if neighbours Limerick can overcome hosts Tipperary in their Round 3 clash on Friday evening.
Cork meanwhile have their sights set far higher as their final round showdown away to Limerick is now a straight play-off for a place in the Munster Under 20 Final.
A five-point victory was certainly flattering but Cork were the more efficient side throughout, with Cunningham only passing up two of nine frees while Timmy Wilk and Diarmuid Healy raided for four points from play each.
Clare demonstrated their potential with a scorching second period that saw Oisin O’Donnell (3), Keith Smyth (3), Senan Dunford, Sean Rynne and the ever-impressive Jack O’Neill produce a seven-point turnaround to soar three clear at 0-12 to 0-9 by the half-hour mark.
Wind-assisted Cork did bounce back off the ropes in time to lessen the half-time arrears to just the minimum at 0-12 to 0-11, with Timmy Wilk winning the restart to immediately level matters for only the fourth time.
That end-to-end pattern would make for a nail-bitingly tense new half that saw the lead change hands four times without either team able to put clear daylight between them.
Cunningham’s goal dramatically broke that trend, a clinching blow that Clare never looked like overturning as they never looked like getting an elusive goal.
All eyes are now on Friday’s derby between Limerick and Tipperary in FBD Semple Stadium Thurles (7.30pm), with a Limerick win or draw enough to nudge the Banner deservedly into a semi-final spot on Monday, May 8th.

Cork: Brion Saunderson (Midleton); Sean Daly (Randal Óg), Shane Kingston (Ballinora), Darragh O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig); James Dwyer (Ballincollig), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Timmy Wilk (Cobh); Michael Mullins (Whitechurch), Tadhg O’Connell (Ballincollig); Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold), Ben Cunningham (St Finbarr’s), Colin Walsh (Kanturk); William Buckley (St Finbarr’s), David Cremin (Midleton), Ross O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh) Subs: Mark Howell (Douglas) for Daly (27, inj), Adam O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig) for R. O’Sullivan (43), Cillian Tobin (Bride Rovers) for Dwyer (50), Brian Keating (Ballincollig) for Walsh (56, inj), Ciaran Doolan (St Finbarr’s) for O’Connell (60)

Scorers: Ben Cunningham (1-7, 7f); Timmy Wilk, Diarmuid Healy (0-4 each); Tadhg O’Connell, William Buckley, David Cremin (0-2 each); Ross O’Sullivan, Shane Kingston, Colin Walsh (0-1 each)

Clare: Aaron Shanahan (Tulla); Jarlath Collins (Éire Óg), John Conneally (Clooney-Quin), Ian McNamara (Killanena); Daithi Lohan (Wolfe Tones), Oisin Clune (Feakle), Oran Cahill (Éire Óg); Sean Rynne (Inagh-Kilnamona), Oisin O’Donnell (Crusheen); Jack O’Neill (Clooney-Quin), Patrick Crotty (Scariff), Keith Smyth (Killanena); David Kennedy (Sixmilebridge), Senan Dunford (Tubber), Gearoid Sheedy (Ogonnelloe) Subs: Niall O’Farrell (Broadford) for Smyth (42), Colm Cleary (O’Callaghan’s Mills) for Kennedy (45), Killian O’Connor (Corofin) for Sheedy (56), Keelan Hartigan (Scariff) for O’Donnell (57), Conor Whelan (Whitegate) for Rynne (59)

Scorers: Keith Smyth (0-6, 4f); Oisin O’Donnell (0-3); David Kennedy, Jack O’Neill, Patrick Crotty, Niall O’Farrell (0-2 each); Senan Dunford, Sean Rynne, Jarlath Colleran, Colm Cleary, Conor Whelan (f) (0-1 each)

Referee: Conor Doyle (Tipperary)