CLARE 3-16, LIMERICK 3-12

COMPARED with the perspective of the hysteria and hype surrounding tomorrow's game, what transpired in Ennis three years ago was of little interest to any one. Limerick with Phil Bennis ink his final year in charge had suffered a series of championship beating at the hands of Tipperary, avoided them in 1992 and got hammered instead by Cork, reinforcing the notion that the old order might never be beat.

Limerick were still persisting with the wave of under age hurlers who had achieved success at minor and under 21 levels coming through the grades in the 1980s. Phil Bennis, a god from the glorious past had his hand on the tiller.

It was one of the years I was injured for," says Ger Hegarty, "but it was a devastating defeat for Limerick. Took longer to get over than the 1994 All Ireland. Had won league in 1992 and high hopes. Got to Munster Final in 1992. We expected to win but we were beaten badly."

For Clare there was a lot on the line. Munster had been distracted through late spring by the three match National Hurling League Final saga between Cork and Wexford. Cork had prevailed and Clare had lain in wait drumming their fingers.

"A lot of people were caught off guard by Clare that summer, says Cyril Lyons. "We beat Cork and everything went right for us in Ennis that day. I remember getting two goals and Sparrow hitting about 1-5. That told its own story about the amount of ball we got and how hard their full back line were finding it. It was all totally unexpected in Clare.

"We had trained hard under Tim Crowe from Sixmilebridge but after a few years of losing there wasn't much interest."

Some of the early tension that day was let out through the traditional valve early on when after Clare's first attack a 30 second free for all erupted. After that Clare set about dismantling Limerick.

Limerick had come to Ennis in search of new ideas that would lift them above the standards of the year before.

"Most of anything new we tried, went wrong," said Phil Bennis morosely afterwards.

Clare won their first Munster Hurling Championship tie in seven years in front of just 12,880 people at Cusack Park. They went nine points ahead after just 19 minutes, establishing a pattern which has persisted in the intervening years. The team which scores early and establishes an advantage wins.

Alan Neville pulled out of the Clare full forward line that day to be replaced by Ger O'Loughlin. One of those serendipitous incidents which add to the lore of any game. Sparrow had 1-5 that day.

The Clare full forward line scored 3-7 from play. Only one of the Limerick full back line survived till the following summer. The following year Tom Ryan had settled on MacDonagh, Nash and O'Connor as their full back line and they kept the Clare full forwards to 1-4.

Mike Houlihan, the Limerick captain was sent off that day. It also marked Phil Bennis's last game in charge. Bennis conceded later that Clare were first to just about every ball all afternoon. It was time for Limerick to get back to the drawing board.

Ger Loughnane watched that game from the stand. He remembers its significance in Clare, a county whose morale needed a push start.

"Limerick were hot favourites to win. Clare had been relegated that year and morale in Clare was at a very low ebb. It was Len Gaynor's second or third year in charge. People regarded them badly. It was being said that not too much progress was being made. Just over 12,000 turned up for Clare and Limerick. That was a disaster in itself. Sparrow in for Alan Neville early on and Clare made a whirlwind start. Sparrow got a pile of scores that day. It got people talking about Clare hurling again. It was a major shock. Very, very important to us. We had a lot of players starting off. Brian Lohan, Stephen Sheedy. Anthony Daly. Brian was in the corner and Anthony Daly was full back. They were all getting their first blood that day."

In Limerick defeat went down badly. After the heroic league final win in the rain at the Gaelic Grounds in 1992 and a Munster final appearance later that summer, Clare had ceased to look like any sort of hurdle.