Tipperary fail to kill Clare off

Match statistics: Clare v Tipperary Clare and Tipperary will have to meet again at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick next Saturday after the sides could not be separated in a well-contested championship encounter played before a paltry attendance at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney.

Clare 1-13, Tipperary 3-7

In the first half, it was Tipperary who looked the more likely side to prevail and if man-of-the-match Declan Browne had converted his injury-time penalty-attempt it would have left Tipperary with an eight-point break lead and Clare might well have found it impossible to come back.

However, Clare, with the aid of the strong wind, did fight back in the second half and, in fact, looked likely winners when Paul Hehir put them in front for the first time in the 63rd minute, leaving the score at 1-13 to 3-6.

But Tipperary and Browne had the final say and he grabbed a loose ball three minutes from time and fired over a superb equaliser to bring his personal haul to 2-4.

Tipperary depended on Browne and Peter Lambert - who notched 1-2 - for all but one point of their total and this shows a weakness in their forward division which could count against them in the replay.

Clare made a master switch when they moved wing back Mark O'Connell back to curb the lethal Browne and he succeeded in curbing the Moyle Rovers sharp-shooter.

Tipperary started well and were two points in front from a Liam England 45 and a Declan Browne free within three minutes, but Clare countered and points from Paul Hehir, and Denis O'Driscoll had the sides level after eight.

Then, in the 10th minute, Tipperary struck for a goal when a four-man move saw Liam England, Peter Lambert, and Paul Cahill feed Browne who slid the ball to the Clare net.

Tipperary kept up the pressure, following with further points from Lambert and Browne and, even though the Banner men rallied, Tipperary finished the half with a flourish.

In the 34th minute, Lambert took the ball and drilled it powerfully to the net.And, in injury-time, Lambert was hauled down in the square, but Declan Browne's spot-kick was saved by Fergal Maguire and Tipperary retired 2-5 to 0-6 in front.

The second half was only seconds old when unleashed a powerful left-footed drive to the roof of the Clare net.

However, that was to be Tipperary's only score for 17 minutes as Clare took over. They soon cut the deficit with points from Russell, and two more frees from Mullen.

Then, in the 46th minute, came the goal that Clare so badly needed when Paul Hehir broke the ball into the path of Denis O'Driscoll, who rifled it to the roof of the net.

Hehir and O'Shea levelled matters, with Browne getting a free for Tipp and the sides were deadlocked at 3-6 to 1-12 with just 12 minutes to go.

Clare looked the more likely side when Hehir gave Clare the lead for the first time with a free from under the stand, but Tipperary rallied and, in the 67th minute, Browne - without looking - turned and drilled the equaliser.

TIPPERARY: P Ryan; N Sheehan, N Kelly, D Byrne; B Hahessy, N Fitzgerald, W Morrissey; S Maher, K Mulryan; D O'Brien, B Cummins, L England; P Lambert, P Cahill, D Browne. Subs: T Ormonde for P Lambert (41 mins); E Hanrahan for P Cahill (55). Booked: N Fitzgerald, D Byrne, L England, E Hanrahan.

CLARE: F Maguire; P Gallagher, D O'Sullivan, D Lyne; M O'Connell, D O'Sullivan, P Smith; B Considine, G Quinlan; D O'Driscoll, D Russell, M O'Shea; C Mullen, P Hehir, M O'Dwyer. Subs: S Hickey for D Russell (54 mins); G Keane for M O'Shea (69). Booked: M O'Connell.