Waterford deliver in style

Munster SHC First round/Waterford 3-21 Clare 1-8: The consensus that backed Clare without reservation going into yesterday's Munster hurling championship first round was exposed in the unforgiving sunshine of Thurles in front of 24,646 spectators. The twin assumptions that had underpinned that consensus were proved entirely wrong, as Waterford launched a blistering display to visit on Clare their heaviest championship defeat since the infamous Munster final of 11 years ago.

First, it was expected Clare would hit the ground running. Second, it was widely believed Waterford, without a decent championship display since beating Tipperary two years ago, had no more outstanding matches left in the cupboard - a belief buttressed by last weekend's dismal National League final against Galway.

Wrong and double wrong.

In the aftermath Anthony Daly quietly ran through the preparations of the past week as if searching for some clue as to how it all had gone so grotesquely wrong. He acknowledged a sense of foreboding after watching Waterford's poor showing eight days ago, that they would have public scorn whipping them on as yesterday approached.

But he couldn't have foreseen how completely his own team would fail to rise to the challenge, how in his own words they were "beaten in nearly every position".

There must be acute anxiety in the county, as the evidence yesterday was the experienced players who survive from the golden age of the last decade, have been caught by one force even more implacable and remorseless than they themselves in their heyday: time.

Waterford, having infuriated their supporters for the past two years, delivered on a big day. "Oh ye of little faith," chided manager Justin McCarthy to the media afterwards. The winners face Tipperary in three weeks' time and even if it's hard to subscribe fully to their chances of winning, Waterford won't be as written off as they were yesterday.

From the start the day was Waterford's. A fine, sunny, hot day in Semple Stadium set the scene. On television former Clare manager Ger Loughnane wondered about the ageing capacities of his old charges on a pitch well suited to the opposition's fast and mobile style.

It took Clare forever to start, all of 28 minutes to register a score, but Waterford sizzled from the start. From the throw-in Ken McGrath, lining up as expected at centre back, caught the first ball comfortably and with the crowd's roar rising he lofted his clearance into John Mullane, who turned and scorched debutant Brian O'Connell before dispatching the opening score within 15 seconds.

This was the encouragement Waterford needed and we waited to monitor Clare's response. But none came. Worse for the county was the sight of all Daly's adjustments and redeployments, so heartening during the league, wilting in the summer sun.

Frank Lohan found it difficult to get to the pace of the game but ultimately finished with three points. He had a goal chance before half-time but overplayed the opening and couldn't get off the best of shots. But he was missed at the back where Mullane tormented O'Connell and Gerry Quinn who relieved him at corner back.

At centre forward Colin Lynch wasn't able to make early impact on McGrath and by the end Clare had tried four candidates on the 40, while Lynch was required to step back into centrefield from where Ollie Baker was called ashore 20 minutes into the match.

In the vacuum left by the Clare challenge Waterford played as they pleased. Dan Shanahan - making his second championship start under McCarthy - kept up the productivity of last week by scoring a hat-trick of goals, making it five in two matches.

His first came in the 14th minute when Tony Browne fired a long ball into the square. Shanahan had drifted in from the wing and rose above marker Conor Plunkett to win the ball and finish it well. His second came a quarter of an hour later after the defence lost another long delivery, this time from Dave Bennett, and Shanahan was on hand to open up a 12-point lead, 2-7 to 0-1.

The total included some stunning scores, the best a sweeping move from Eoin Murphy breaking up an attack, finding Ken McGrath whose long ball into Mullane was gathered and sent soaring over the bar.

After Waterford's second goal the one tense phase of the match unfolded. As the crowd waited for some sort of response, Clare started to chip away at the lead. Frank Lohan's chance came and went but he and Niall Gilligan took points before Clare were awarded a 20-metre free.

Goalkeeper David Fitzgerald made the long journey up to take it. He went for goal, had it blocked but Tony Griffin was on hand to fire in the rebound. Gilligan added a free before the break and at six points behind, the game was still - implausibly - there for Clare.

A third, albeit weaker assumption at this juncture, was that Waterford would be unnerved by the unrepresentative shrinking of their lead and reminded of a similar situation against Limerick three years ago when a 12-point lead went to six and was overturned by the end of the match.

But the second half restored reality. Clare had nothing more to offer. And found themselves on the viewing end of an exhibition. Bennett and Kelly bounced around to lively effect, shooting three points from play.

As the match died, Waterford piled on the scores and Shanahan got his third goal with a follow-up to a shot by Micheál Walsh that came off the post.

Clare tried but had nothing to offer. James O'Connor came on for all of five minutes before injury forced his withdrawal.

WATERFORD: 1. S Brenner; 2. J Murray, 3. T Feeney, 4. E Murphy; 6. T Browne, 7. K McGrath, 5. B Phelan; 8. D Bennett (0-5, four frees), 9. E Kelly (0-8, four frees); 10. D Shanahan (3-1), 11. M Walsh (0-1), 15. P Flynn (0-1); 13. J Mullane (0-4), 14. S Prendergast (0-1), 12. E McGrath. Subs: 21. P O'Brien for Flynn (59 mins), 20. S Ryan for E McGrath (66 mins), 18. A Moloney for Prendergast (69 mins).

CLARE: 1. D Fitzgerald; 2. B Quinn, 3. B Lohan, 4. B O'Connell; 7. G Quinn, 6. S McMahon (capt), 5. C Plunkett; 8. O Baker, 9. D McMahon; 10. T Griffin (1-0), 11. C Lynch (0-1), 12. A Markham; 13. N Gilligan (0-4, one free), 14. F Lohan (0-3), 15. D Forde. Subs: 23. T Carmody for Baker (21 mins), 18. D Hoey for O'Connell (26 mins), 29. J O'Connor for Markham (42 mins), 20. B O'Connell for O'Connor (47 mins). 17. C Forde for Quinn (60 mins).

Referee: G Harrington (Cork).