Clare find momentum

National Hurling League Division One A/ Clare 5-21 Down 0-9: An experimental Clare outfit completely outclassed Down at Cusack Park, Ennis, yesterday. Despite amassing a huge final tally, Clare were guilty of squandering chances, especially during the first half in which they recorded 14 wides.

Opening-day cobwebs could be blamed for Clare's poor shooting early on, but nevertheless a 3-7 to 0-5 lead at the break wasn't a bad return either. This 11-point advantage was more than enough for Anthony Daly's men to build upon and, as the second half progressed, the gulf in class between the sides became more evident.

Two goals and a point, to no reply, inside six minutes set the tone for the afternoon. Andrew Quinn was alert to a long Pat Donnellan free out of defence to grab the first goal and in the sixth minute Barry Nugent ran on to a sweeping clearance from Brian Lohan. The corner forward advanced before shooting past Down goalkeeper Graham Clarke.

Nugent had opened the scoring in the second minute with a fine point.

Brendan McGourty got Down off the blocks in the seventh with a pointed free from 45 metres.

Tony Carmody got on the scoresheet for Clare on 23 minutes, when he goaled at the end of a movement that involved James McInerney, Andrew Quinn and Tony Griffin. The Inagh man added two more points before the break and in the end he finished up with a personal total of 1-6.

After the break, Down recorded the first score when Eoin McGuinness's shot sailed just over Davy Fitzgerald's crossbar. Then Clarke produced a superb save to deny Tony Griffin, who had broken the defensive cover.

It was all for nothing from a Down perspective and five unanswered Clare points in a seven-minute spell put the hosts out of sight.

Nugent had his second and Clare's fourth goal after 50 minutes when he finished a hand pass from Alan Markham. Diarmuid McMahon completed the rout in the 58th with a fifth goal on a day when Down had to yield to a more experienced and organised Clare outfit.

CLARE: D Fitzgerald; T Holland, B Lohan, C Harrison; P Donnellan (0-1), C Forde, C Plunkett (0-1, 65); B O'Connell (0-1), P Vaughan; D McMahon (1-0), T Carmody (1-6), A Markham; B Nugent (2-4), T Griffin (0-4), A Quinn (1-1). Subs: J McInerney (0-2) for Vaughan (inj), F Lynch (0-1) for A Quinn (inj), C McMahon for Lohan, D O'Connell for Nugent.

DOWN: G Clarke; D Coffey, S Murray, P Hughes; C Courtney, G Savage, C Coulter; D Flynn (0-1), A Savage (0-1); A McGuinness, B McGourty (0-5, three frees), N Courtney; P Smyth, E McGuinness (0-2), G Hughes. Subs: M Ennis for Coffey, HJ Torney for Smyth.

Referee: B White (Tipperary).