Clare v Cork U20: Rebels finish strongly to maintain 100 percent record
Tadhg O'Connell of Cork under pressure from Clare's Jack O'Neill during the oneills.com Munster U20 HC game at Cusack Park in Ennis. Picture: Brendan Gleeson
CORK guaranteed themselves a semi-final place at worst in the oneills.com Munster U20HC as they picked up a third straight win with victory against Clare at Cusack Park in Ennis on Wednesday evening.
While five points separated the sides at the end, it wasn’t until Ben Cunningham’s in the 55th minute that either side led by more than a point in the second half, the St Finbarr’s man making it 1-20 to 0-19 following a pass by David Cremin, who had done well to win an Eoin Downey free.
From there, Cork were able to buttress their lead and they will go to Limerick next week looking to maintain their 100 percent record and book the automatic final spot. They are now on six points while Clare, with their four games played, are on four and will hope that Limerick can beat Tipperary on Friday night to help them attain a semi-final spot.
Cork started brightly. With Colin Walsh drifting from his full-forward posting, the half-forward line had Clare in trouble and the lead was 0-6 to 0-2 after a pair of fine Diarmuid Healy points in the ninth and tenth minutes.
David Cremin, a late replacement for Eoin O’Leary, had earlier registered after good work by William Buckley and Cork looked good in contrast to Clare’s wastefulness. While Patrick Crotty did pull one back for the hosts, Cork restored their four-point lead as centre-back Eoin Downey – who, moments earlier, had done well to hook a Keith Smyth goal effort – provided the pass for full-back Shane Kingston to make it 0-7 to 0-3.
Despite missing senior panellist Adam Hogan, Clare found a response, though. The lead was halved as Senan Dunford and Keith Smyth pointed and there was a real goal chance when Smyth pounced on a break after two Cork defenders went for the same ball. There was a let-off on that occasion as Smyth was pulled for over-carrying and William Buckley gave Cork breathing space again but Clare came back with quickfire points from Oisín O’Donnell and, after the Cork puckout was loss, Seán Rynne.
Smyth made it 0-8 each with a free and then Jack O’Neill had them in front for the first time since the third minute, with O’Donnell putting them two in front. While Ben Cunningham did end Cork’s 13-minute drought with a free, O’Donnell and Smyth had Clare 0-12 to 0-9 to the good in injury time.
Cork ended the half well, though, as Cunningham scored a free just after missing one and Timmy Wilk – moved to midfield from wing-back – left one in it with a score just before the whistle.
That left it 0-12 to 0-11 at half-time and Cork were level as Wilk scored within 13 seconds of the restart – his second score coming in the 31st minute, after his first had been in the 34th – but Clare remained stout, albeit with placed-ball scoring opportunities still more a liability than an asset. A fine point from defender Ja Collins had the home side 0-15 to 0-14 in front on 38 before Cork retook the lead through the increasingly influential Wilk and Healy’s third of the evening.
But the game continued to swing, with Clare scoring three of the next four as sub Colm Cleary put them ahead with his first touch only for Wilk to get his fourth point of the game. William Buckley had Cork back in front and, though another Clare sub, Niall O’Farrell, equalised, it was the last time parity pertained.
Cork pushed on to get the win and stay on course for the automatic final spot; Clare finish their round-robin campaign still unsure if they will have another game.
B Cunningham 1-7 (0-7 f), D Healy, T Wilk 0-4 each, D Cremin, W Buckley, T O’Connell 0-2 each, S Kingston, C Walsh, R O’Sullivan 0-1 each.
K Smyth 0-6 (0-4 f), O O’Donnell 0-3, J O’Neill, P Crotty, N O’Farrell, D Kennedy 0-2 each, J Collins, S Rynne, S Dunford, C Whelan (f), C Cleary 0-1 each.
B Saunderson (Midleton); S Daly (Randal Óg), S Kingston (Ballinora), D O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig); J Dwyer (Ballincollig), E Downey (Glen Rovers), T Wilk (Cobh); M Mullins (Whitechurch), T O’Connell (Ballincollig); D Healy (Lisgoold), B Cunningham (St Finbarr’s), C Walsh (Kanturk); W Buckley (St Finbarr’s), D Cremin (Midleton), R O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh).
M Howell (Douglas) for Daly (27, injured), A O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig) for R O’Sullivan (43), C Tobin (Bride Rovers) for Dwyer (51), B Keating (Ballincollig) for Walsh (56), C Doolin (St Finbarr’s) for O’Connell (60).
A Shanahan; I MacNamara, J Conneally, J Collins; O Clune, D Lohan, O Cahill; S Rynne, O O’Donnell; J O’Neill P Crotty, K Smyth; G Sheedy, S Dunford, D Kennedy.
N O’Farrell for Smyth (43), C Leary for Kennedy (46), K O’Connor for G Sheedy, K Hartigan for O’Donnell (both 57), C Whelan for Rynne (60).
C Doyle (Tipperary).
App?
