Tipp abruptly end minors’ hopes

CLARE’S hope of contesting their fifth consecutive Munster minor final ended at the Ragg on Saturday when they suffered a five-point defeat against the home county. Nikki Kaiser opened the scoring for Clare when she converted a free in the second minute.
Tipperary responded with two points from Aoife Ryan to push the home side in front by the fifth minute. Tipp were denied a goal two minutes later when Suzy O’Shea pulled off the first of a number of great saves. Kaiser converted another free for Clare to bring the sides level by the 10th minute. Michaela Graham pushed Tipperary in front and it fell to Kaiser to level the sides again in the 14th minute. The winners pushed ahead with three unanswered points in the next 10 minutes before Kaiser pulled one back for Clare from another free. Another Tipperary point from Caoimhe Maher gave them a 0-7 to 0-4 advantage at the break.
Tipperary could have been a couple of goals in front at the break but for O’Shea who denied them on a number of occasions in the opening period. Tipperary hit five unanswered points from the restart and again, despite their best efforts to grab that elusive goal, it was O’Shea who held them in check. Clare were more dominant in the last quarter, with Kaiser adding three points, two from frees and Kate O’Gorman also got her name on the score sheet.
Clare had narrowed the deficit to four points as full-time approached. There was a long break in play for treatment of an injured Tipperary player and when play resumed, it was to the home side that the final score fell. Clare will now contest the Munster Minor Shield, while Tipperary march on to the cup final. Both sides, however, still don’t know what opposition they will face as in the other semi-final, Cork and Limerick played out a draw and extra time was unable to separate the sides.

Clare: Suzy O’Shea (Ballyea); Jane Flanagan (Ballyea), Laura McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Shauna Fleming (Kilkishen); Louise Griffin (Ballyea, captain), Ellen Roche (Sixmilebridge), Kate O’Neill (Newmarket-on-Fergus); Alana O’Brien (Éire Óg), Rachel Mulcaire (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Sinéad Touhy (Sixmilebridge), Vera Loughnane (Feakle), Nikki Kaiser (Newmarket-on-Fergus, 0-8 6f); Shauna O’Brien (Éire Óg), Kate O’Gorman (Kilkishen, 0-1), Orla Devitt (Éire Óg).
Subs: Clodagh Lawlor (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for O’Neill, Claire O’Brien (Wolfe Tones) for Mulcaire and Eimear Casey (St Joseph’s) for Griffin.
Tipperary: Sarah Coonan (0-1, pen), Mary Walsh, Aisling Cremin, Louise McLoughlin, Theresa Ryan, Jenny Logue, Ann Eviston; Caoimhe Maher, Sarah Fryday, Tara Kennedy, Andrea Loughnane, Megan Ryan, Aoife McGrath, Michela Graham, Aoife Ryan.
Subs: Elaine Murphy for Megan Ryan and Ciara McGrath for Graham (both 39 mins).
Referee: Mike Sheehan, Cork.

All-Ireland series
CLARE face Galway on Saturday in the All-Ireland Minor series at 2pm in Clooney. Galway lost their opening game by a point to Kilkenny and on Saturday, both sides face a tough battle to secure a semi-final spot. Galway took home the title two years ago at the expense of Clare and will be hoping to repeat that victory over the Banner girls.