Clare and Cork clashed in the oneills.com Munster U20 Hurling Championship. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
oneills.com Munster U20 Hurling Championship
Clare 1-16 Cork 1-16
By Eoin Brennan at Sixmilebridge
A relieved Cork left Sixmilebridge with a welcome share of the points after a profligate Clare let the visitors off the hook in a dramatic Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship opener in front of 2,358.
With the Rebels ending the Banner’s provincial Under 20 hopes in the last three seasons, they again proved obstinate opponents to recover from a five point deficit and remarkably snatch a draw.
Three red cards in the final quarter only heightened an already frantic finale as Clare lost free taker Fred Hegarty at the three quarters mark before Ben Walsh and Barry O’Flynn were dismissed for Cork in the final minutes.
Despite being reeled in twice late on, the hosts would still be presented with a glorious opportunity to garner victory at the death when a lineball was upgraded to a free after a Cork defender had thrown away the ball.
Up stepped substitute James Organ, but his angled 25 metre shot would drifted agonisingly wide of the right post to the sound of the final whistle.
It was a nervy shooting display from Terence Fahy’s side that saw Clare inexplicably hit 15 wides and pass up three additional goal chances that would have put them out of sight.
Credit Cork for just hanging in there, though, as they patiently bedded their time before finally making up the ground when gaining a numerical advantage for the final quarter.
Up to that point, Clare had led the way with Fred Hegarty’s frees accentuated by a superb start for Sean Boyce to raid for 1-2 in the first nine minutes.
The goal stemmed from a brilliant surge from the exceptional Diarmuid Stritch who offloaded to Boyce to control and finish from the edge of the square at 1-3 to 0-2, a margin that would largely separate the sides until John Wigginton Barrett took advantage of a break to race through for a 26th minute Cork major.
Michael Collins had a shot superbly tipped away by centre-back Cillian O’Callaghan as Clare had to be content with a 1-11 to 1-08 interval edge. However, despite a plethora of chances on the restart, their mounting wide count would ensure that the home side didn’t actually open their second half account until Stritch’s interventon in the 46th minute.
By that stage, the Banner were down to 14 men but still managed to hold out until the 56th minute when successive singles for Cork’s scorers-in-chief Barry Walsh and John Wigginton Barrett levelled the tie for only the second time.
Amidst a brace of reds for the Rebels, Jack O’Neill nudged Clare in front, only to be matched by Barry Walsh’s twelve point of the hour.
Clare did have one final chance in the 64th minute but that last gasp miss would be indicative of a ring-rusty opening night performance that will have to be improved upon for their long trip to Waterford next Wednesday while Cork host a scorned Tipperary.
Clare: Mark Sheedy; John Cahill, Fionan Treacy, Eoghan Gunning; Joe Casey, James Hegarty (0-01, 1f), Eoin McMahon (0-01); Jamie Moylan, Matthew O’Halloran; Michael Collins, Jack O’Neill (0-01), Ronan Kilroy (0-01); Sean Boyce (1-02), Fred Hegarty (0-05, 5f), Diarmuid Stritch (0-04)
Subs: Dannan Fox for Moylan (48), James Organ (0-01, 1f) for Collins (50), Ronan Keane for O’Halloran (53), Robert Loftus for Treacy (56).
Cork: Daniel O’Connell; Eoin Guinane, James O’Brien, Denis Cashman; Ben Walsh, Cillian O’Callaghan, Daniel Murnane; Timmy Wilk, Ryan Deasy; John Murphy, Barry Walsh (0-12, 10f, 1’65), Johnnie Murphy; Mark O’Brien (0-01), John Wigginton Barrett (1-03), Barry O’Flynn.
Subs: Zach Biggane for Murnane (37), Óisín Fitzgerald for Will (42), Ross O’Sullivan for O’Brien (44), Matthew Barrett for Deasy (54).
Referee: Alan Tierney (Tipperary).
