Tony Kelly masterclass helps Clare defend under-21 hurling crown

Clare 2-20 Wexford 3-11

Clare showed that the county’s hurlers haven’t gone away at the end of a summer during which they may have lost their senior All-Ireland but in Thurles on Saturday evening they retained the Bórd Gáis Energy All-Ireland under-21 title.

Driven by a superb display from captain Tony Kelly who shot seven points from play, Clare eventually subdued a highly creditable performance by Wexford, who were out-gunned but never gave up the chase and obliged the champions to deploy a sweeper in the closing minutes for fear that their opponents open them up for more than the three goals they had scored in the second half.

The pace of the match was fast and furious but Clare, more practised in the high-tempo, running game, had just too much for the Leinster champions, who struggled to stop their opponents breaking quickly and overlapping down the wings.

Wexford opened competitively and kept in touch, mainly through frees by Jack Guiney, and supplemented by two inspirational points from Gary Moore but the strain of trying to hold Clare eventually told.

It was perfectly encapsulated to Clare's first goal. Wexford corner forward Kevin Foley broke through the Munster champions' defence but his shot came back off the goal-frame and Conor McDonald's follow-up was blocked.

From this deliverance Clare built and the ball went down the left to Shane O'Donnell who cut in towards goal and hand passed across to David Reidy who finished to the net: a six-point turnaround in seconds after Wexford's agonisingly close call at the other end.

JJ Doyle’s team realistically needed to get everything right and leave no margin for error and a few sloppy wides hurt them more than Clare’s similar mistakes, simply because they had to work harder for their openings.

Kelly was already playing a captain’s part, reminding everyone of what had made him Hurler of the Year 12 months ago at the age of 19. His speed of movement and of thought exerted tremendous pressure on Wexford and before half-time he had shot five points from play, the exact differential between the teams at the break, 1-8 to 0-6.

In the second half, when Wexford’s comeback had got within a goal of Clare and their support was making itself heard, it was Kelly who dispatched a wonderful point from the left wing to lift the siege.

All through Wexford never gave up though and an excellent first-half intervention by corner back Andrew Kenny, who flicked the ball away after Oliver O'Leary had saved another goal.

One of Wexford's difficulties had been an inability to get Conor McDonald into the game even when he rotated out to the wing with Guiney, but within seconds of the start the senior star pointed to get himself on the scoreboard and cut the gap. He then started to cause trouble and Jack Browne was yellow carded for taking him down a minute or so later and Guiney's free got the margin back to a score and Conor Devitt trimmed the deficit further.

Eventually Clare regrouped and their attacks were so quick and accurate that Wexford creaked. Clare had been awarded just one free in the first half but when the supply improved Bobby Duggan was on hand to capitalise.

He and Colm Galvin scored four points in the second half and the latter's were all from play.

In the 38th minute the match looked formally over when Aaron Cunningham's goal put Clare seven clear, 2-10 to 0-9, but the arrival of Wexford replacement David Dunne had a radical impact. He scored a goal in the 44th minute to prevent the match slipping away in the face of Clare's growing supremacy.

After Clare had painstakingly clawed back the value of the goal and an additional point from Kelly, Dunne struck again and two minutes later, in the 54th, a long ball from full back Liam Ryan, fell for McDonald to tuck away Wexford's third goal and when Guiney pointed a free, they were back in the match.

For all the bravery and willingness to have a go, Wexford weren’t able to contain their slicker opponents in the endgame during which Kelly and Galvin, twice, re-asserted the champions’ control for a six-point win.

CLARE: K Hogan; J Colleran, J Browne, S Morey; G O'Connell (0-1), C Cleary, J Shanahan (0-1); C Galvin (0-4), E Enright; B Duggan (0-4, three frees), T Kelly (0-7), P Duggan; S O'Donnell, A Cunningham (1-2), D Reidy (1-1). Subs: C O'Connell for G O'Connell (49 mins), A O'Neill for O'Donnell (55 mins), S O'Brien for Colleran (61 mins).

WEXFORD: O O'Leary; A Kenny, L Ryan, E Conroy; J White, S O'Gorman, J O'Connor; A Nolan, C Devitt (0-1); J Guiney (0-7, six frees and 65), G Moore (0-2), P Foley; R Clarke, C McDonald (1-1), K Foley. Subs: D Dunne (2-0) for O'Connor (35 mins), J Cash for White (42 mins), C O'Leary for Moore (52 mins), P Sutton for Cash (58 mins).

Referee: C McAllister (Cork).

Attendance: 15,081