Clare retain Munster under-21 crown with classy display against Tipperary

Clare 1-17 Tipperary 2-10

Clare retained their Munster under-21 hurling championship crown with a classy display against Tipperary in last night's Thurles final. The Banner ran out four-point winners in front of 8,296 spectators at Semple Stadium.

Jason Forde scored 2-7 for Tipp, including 1-7 from placed balls, but just two other players managed to get on the scoresheet for the Premier County. And they were held scoreless from play in the first half – with Liam McGrath hitting Tipp’s first point from play in the 37th minute.

It was that kind of evening for Tipp and while Forde did bring Tipp to within five points, 1-9 to 1-14, with a goal midway through the second half, Clare responded with points from senior panellists Podge Collins and Aaron Cunningham.

Clare fielded six of the team that started against Galway in the recent All-Ireland SHC quarter-final.

Stoppage time
Clare finished the game with 14 players when Seadna Morey was dismissed in stoppage time, for a second bookable offence. Forde netted the penalty after Niall O'Meara was fouled but it was an academic score as time was up.

And Clare, who had David McInerney in sensational form at full-back, were left to celebrate back-to-back Munster under-21 titles for the first time.

Their reward is an All-Ireland semi-final with Galway on August 24th and, on this form, Clare will be hard stopped as they attempt to hold onto their All-Ireland crown.

Tipp didn’t have a shot at goal from play until the 30th minute and while Clare registered seven wides, they also managed to rack up 1-9 in the opening half. Tipp, in contrast, didn’t register from from play as six pointed frees from senior panellist Forde represented the sum total of their efforts.

Clare’s goal was avoidable from a Tipperary viewpoint as goalkeeper Darragh Mooney was left exposed after deciding to come from his line, with Peter Duggan flicking home Alan O’Neill’s long free.

That goal, in the 18th minute, handed Clare a 1-5 to 0-3 lead and they 0 extended that to six points by half-time.

But Tipp were aggrieved in the 30th minute when Clare's leading marksman O'Connell drove a free a foot wide at the Town End – but the "point" was allowed to stand.

CLARE: R Taaffe; P Flanagan, D McInerney, J Browne; S Morey, A O'Neill, S O'Halloran; T Kelly (0-2), C Galvin (0-2); P Duggan (1-0), P Collins (0-2), S O'Donnell (0-1); D O'Halloran, A Cunningham (0-2), C O'Connell (0-8, 6f). Subs: J Shanahan for D O'Halloran (55), C Malone for Duggan (56), N Arthur for Cunningham (60+1).
TIPPERARY: D Mooney; M Breen, A Ryan, C Barrett; J O'Dwyer, T Hamill, S Kennedy; J Cahill, B Stapleton; T Heffernan, J Forde (2-7, 1-0 pen, 0-6f, 0-1 65), N O'Meara (0-1); L McGrath (0-2, 1f), B Walsh, A McCormack.
Subs: J McGrath for Heffernan (28), C O'Riordan for Cahill (36), T Gallagher for Walsh (41), J Meagher for Stapleton (49), M O'Brien for McCormack (57).
Referee: S Hourigan (Limerick).