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Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Round 2
Clare 1-19 Limerick 1-19
A never-say-die Clare again spring to life in injury-time to rescue a draw, this time rallying with the last three points to halt Limerick’s perfect start to the Munster Under 20 Championship in the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Wednesday evening, writes Eoin Brennan.
Perversely having been overturned twice in injury-time in their two group matches in 2022, the shoe has been on the other foot for this campaign as it took the last puck of both games to eke out a share of the spoils.
How valuable two draws will be is debatable but it’s infinitely better than last year’s heartbreak so while Clare have still only secured one victory at this level since 2015, the fact that they are still unbeaten with two matches to play and have their fate in their own hands is a major positive.
It seemed as if their chance had vanished as a momentum-fuelled Banner wiped out a three point half-time deficit when outscoring their hosts by 1-3 to 0-1 nearing the end of the third quarter.
Oisin O’Donnell and Patrick Crotty had been desperately unlucky not to find the net on the restart but that changed in the 36th minute when Crotty stormed through the centre and unleashed an unstoppable effort to the bottom left corner of the net at 1-11 to 1-11.
A further brace of points from the Clare Senior panelist allied to one from substitute Colm Cleary put their side into the ascendency for the first time in 20 minutes at 1-14 to 1-12.
Unfortunately, they increasingly began to creak, with unerring Limerick free taker Patrick O’Donovan converting four consecutive placed balls to carve out a three point cushion by the hour mark.
Nothing but a goal seemed likely to save the Banner but with three minutes of additional time announced, they admirably refused to reach for the panic button as Sean Rynne and Colm Cleary lowered the deficit to just the minimum.
It had to take an inspirational last gasp solo score from Sean Rynne to save the day as he dispossessed a Limerick player in front of the dug-outs before racing down the right touchline and arrowing over for a perfect equalising score.
Keith Smyth was Clare’s main threat in the opening half but Crotty, Oisin O’Donnell, Jack O’Neill, Sean Rynne and replacement Colm Cleary stepped up impressively to the mark on the turnover.
Adam Hogan was excellent in a man-marking job on Shane O’Brien as was Sean Rynne on Adam English in the centre albeit that he did manage to ghost inside for Limerick’s only goal of the game in the 26th minute.
John Conneally took up that mantle when English permanently resided on the inside line but with others being shadowed, centre-forward Patrick O’Donovan capitalised fully on the space as along with being an expert freetaker, five of his twelve points stemmed from play.
Clare still haven’t reached full tilt but now have a fortnight to evolve further before traveling to a winless Waterford in a fortnight’s time. Two different free-takers missed chances but Limerick were equally as wasteful from open play in the first half as they fired eight wides.
Smyth led the Clare charge early on as they soared to the first three points, a platform to remain in front until Limerick finally honed their radar with a 1-5 unanswered burst in the second quarter.
English’s goal put the hosts in front for the first time before carving out a five point cushion by the 28th minute.
Patrick Crotty and Oisin O’Donnell repaired some of the damage by the break at 1-9 to 0-9 and they duly picked up where they left off on the restart to finally make up the ground by the two-thirds mark.
Clare’s indiscipline almost cost them for the second match in succession but there’s no doubting their character as they somehow resuscitated their campaign to maintain their unbeaten start.
Clare: Aaron Shanahan (Tulla); John Conneally (Clooney-Quin), Adam Hogan (Feakle), Ian McNamara (Killanena); Jarlath Collins (Éire Óg), Oran Cahill (Éire Óg), Daithi Lohan (Wolfe Tones); Sean Rynne (Inagh-Kilnamona), Jack O’Neill (Clooney-Quin); Oisin O’Donnell (Crusheen), Patrick Crotty (Scariff), Niall O’Farrell (Broadford); Conor Whelan (Whitegate), Keith Smyth (Killanena), David Kennedy (Sixmilebridge)
Subs: Colm Cleary (O’Callaghan’s Mills) for Whelan (HT), Oisin Clune (Feakle) for Cahill (51),
for O’Connor (HT), Keelan Hartigan (Scariff) for O’Farrell (53), James Doherty (Clarecastle) for Kennedy (56)
Scorers: Keith Smyth (0-7, 4f, 1’65); Patrick Crotty (1-3); Sean Rynne (0-3); Jack O’Neill, Colm Cleary (0-2 each); David Kennedy, Oisin O’Donnell (0-1 each)
Limerick: Josh O’Reilly (Ballybrown); Ronan Lyons (Monaleen), John Fitzgerald (Na Piarsaigh), Evan O’Leary (Ahane); David Fitzgerald (Kildimo/Pallaskenry), Cian Scully (Dromin/Athlacca), Ethan Hurley (Newcastle West); Joseph Fitzgerald (Monaleen), Adam English (Doon); Fintan Fitzgerald (Mungret St Paul’s), Patrick O’Donovan (Effin), John Kirby (Patrickswell); Adam Fitzgerald (Templeglantine), Shane O’Brien Kilmallock), Con Hayes (Newcastle West)
Subs: Liam Lynch (Mungret St Paul’s) for Hayes (30), Barry Duff (Mungret St Paul’s) for A. Fitzgerald (HT), Jack Molloy (Knockaderry) for John Fitzgerald (45), Liam Dennehy (Glenroe) for F. Fitzgerald (48), Sean O’Neill (Blackrock) for Kirby (58)
Scorers: Patrick O’Donovan (0-12, 6f, 1’65); Adam English (1-1); Ethan Hurley (0-2 each); Adam Fitzgerald, Fintan Fitzgerald, Joseph Fitzgerald, Shane O’Brien (0-1 each)
Referee: Nicky Barry (Waterford)
