Two goals in as many minutes midway through the second half helped Clare to a merited win over Limerick IT in the Waterford Crystal senior hurling tournament quarter-final at O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge on Saturday evening.
Two goals in as many minutes midway through the second half helped Clare to a merited win over Limerick IT in the Waterford Crystal senior hurling tournament quarter-final at O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge on Saturday evening.
Originally scheduled for 1pm, the game eventually went ahead at 4pm, having been deferred due to a frosted pitch. There was a period on Saturday morning when it was thought that the game would not take place until at least a day later but pitch conditions improved and with both sides anxious for the game to go ahead, a 4pm throw-in time was agreed.
Clare made six changes in personnel from the side that overcame Tralee IT in the opening round a week earlier. Philip Brennan, Cian Dillon, James Gunning, Liam Markham, Conor McGrath and Cathal McInerney came in for Kevin Brennan, Bryan Donnellan, Cathal Chaplin, Cormac O’Donovan, Eoin Hayes and Gerry Quinn.
While it was still evident that the Clare players have little hurling played this season, this was an improved display on the previous week. However, there is still concern in relation to missed chances from frees. Colin Ryan, Conor McGrath and Nicky O’Connell were all wide of the target from placed balls while the students also struggled in this area, with Bernard Gaffney missing a few opportunities.
Incidentally, Limerick IT played this tie without Galway star Joe Canning and Tipperary’s Seamus Callinan.
The sides swapped points three times in the opening 15 minutes and they were level five times in the first half hour, at which stage the score stood at 0-6. The home side edged 0-8 to 0-6 ahead by the end of a half, which had produced some good hurling.
Points were traded in the opening minute of the second half before the students struck for three in a row to open a two-point gap with 12 minutes played. The switch of Laois player Willie Hyland to full-forward posed problems for Clare early in the second half but Clare moved James McInerney back to the edge of the square in a switch with Cian Dillon and this improved matters for the winners. McInerney got the upperhand on Hyland while Dillon played some powerful hurling at centre-back. Three minutes later Clare were back in front after the game’s first goal. Conor McGrath made the opening and Diarmuid McMahon found the net. Two minutes later they repeated the feat, with McMahon again applying the finish after McGrath had created the chance. A brace of points from Colin Ryan followed and Clare had a two-goal advantage with 12 minutes remaining.
The visitors piled on the pressure and Philip Brennan was called on to make two good saves, the first from substitute Martin Duggan and the second from a Willie Hyland free. Three unanswered points from the students cut the margin to a single score before Clare took control again and finished strongly. Substitute Adrian Donovan, making his first appearance at senior level for Clare in a competitive tie, broke through for an impressive goal to seal Clare’s place in this week’s semi-final, again at O’Garney Park.
Mark Earley and James Gunning did well in the corner-back positions for the winners while Cathal McInerney and Conor McGrath showed some great touches. Diarmuid McMahon and Fergal Lynch got through a lot of work and contributed 2-4 between them.
Clare men Conor Cooney, Pat Donnellan and Eamonn Glynn did well in defence for the students while up front Willie Hyland was their best player, causing some problems for Clare in the second half.
Clare: Philip Brennan (Tulla); Mark Earley (Tubber), Cian Dillon (Crusheen), James Gunning (Broadford); Ciaran O’Doherty (Crusheen), James McInerney (Newmarket), Liam Markham (Cratloe); Nicky O’Connell (Clonlara), Colin Ryan (Newmarket); Fergal Lynch (Clooney-Quin), Diarmuid McMahon (Kilmaley), Conor Tierney (Inagh-Kilnamona); Conor McGrath (Cratloe), Danny Morey (Sixmilebridge), Cathal McInerney (Cratloe).
Subs: Cormac O’Donovan (Clonlara) for Morey (half-time); Adrian Donovan (O’Callaghan’s Mills) for Tierney (51 minutes).
Scorers: Diarmuid McMahon (2-1); Colin Ryan (0-5, 2f); Conor McGrath (1f), Fergal Lynch (0-3) each; Adrian Donovan (1-0); Cathal McInerney, Danny Morey (0-1) each)
Frees: 11; Wides: 11.
Bookings: Cormac O’Donovan (55 minutes).
Limerick IT: Matthew Ryan (Tipperary); Eamonn Glynn (Inagh-Kilnamona), Ciaran Cowan (Tipperary), Conor Cooney (O’Callaghan’s Mills); Jason Hayes (Limerick), Pat Donnellan (O’Callaghan’s Mills), John O’Keeffe, (Tipperary); Paul Browne (Limerick), Paudie O’Brien (Limerick); Stephen Lambert (Galway), Willie Hyland (Laois), Sean Tobin (Limerick); Pádraig Landers (Galway), Bernard Gaffney (Newmarket), Mark Flaherty (Killanena).
Subs: Donie Reale (Limerick) for Gaffney (57 minutes); Martin Duggan (Clooney-Quin) for Landers (59 minutes); Brian Glynn (Inagh-Kilnamona) for Tobin (66 minutes).
Scorers: Willie Hyland (0-6, 2f); Bernard Gaffney (0-5, 3f, 1 65); Paul Browne, Stephen Lambert, Mark Flaherty, Paudie O’Brien (0-1) each.
Frees: 14; Wides: 14; 65s:1.
Referee: Michael O’Connor, (Limerick).