Munster U20 Hurling: Cork denied by late Clare goal
Diarmuid Stritch (left) scored the late goal as Cork lost to Clare in the oneills.com Munster U20HC semi-final on Wednesday. File picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Diarmuid Stritch’s late goal for Clare broke Cork hearts as the visitors took victory by a point in Wednesday’s oneills.com Munster U20HC semi-final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
While Cork led for much of the game, they had been unable to take advantage of their goal opportunities and they held a narrow 0-20 to 1-15 lead after Clare sub Harry Doherty sent over a 56th-minute point.
Three minutes later, a Cork attack broke down and Clare’s quick breakaway charge was led by Michael Collins, who showed good awareness to find Stritch, who finished from close range. Even then, Cork had chances to force extra time but an equaliser remained elusive.
Clare now advance to meet Tipperary in the final next Wednesday night.
Though Cork began with long-range points from Barry Walsh and Daniel O’Connell, Clare were on top in the early exchanges around the middle and Stritch’s nice point had them 0-3 to 0-2 ahead in the fifth minute.
However, the Banner County’s shooting in the opening half left a lot to be desired – they had nine wides to just two for Cork – and the hosts found a run of form that yielded six points between the seventh and 15th minutes.
The first of those was a Walsh 65 after Adam O’Sullivan and Finn O’Brien had had shots blocked and then Barry O’Flynn pointed after a good catch from Timmy Wilk’s delivery. O’Fynn also set one up for Finn O’Brien, who in turn was the provider for John Murphy making it 0-8 to 0-3 after good defending from James O’Brien, David O’Leary and Eoin Guinane led to a turnover. In addition, Denis Cashman was effective in trying to limit Stritch’s influence.
It was 0-9 to 0-5 when both counties had goal chances in quick succession – Clare’s Seán Boyne denied by a great James O’Brien hook before Wilk sent a long ball to Finn O’Brien, who tested Clare goalkeeper Mark Sheedy.
Coming up to the break, the same four-point gap, 0-11 to 0-7, still pertained before being almost wiped out. First, Michael Collins and Diarmuid Stritch combined to set up Boyce. His shot ended up in the net, with O’Leary unlucky not to get more of a block on it.
Cork responded well with O’Flynn pointing and Ben Walsh adding another free. Adam O’Sullivan might have added a goal before half-time, getting to a loose ball before Sheedy only for his flicked effort to come back off the crossbar; equally, Cork needed a good O’Connell save from Jamie Moylan to go in leading by 0-13 to 1-8.
Within four second-half minutes, they trailed as two Fred Hegarty frees for Clare sandwiched a Ronan Kilroy point but, again, Cork responded well.
They might have even had a goal as Oisín Fitzgerald claimed a break and fed Adam O’Sullivan, whose batted effort flew over to level at 0-14 to 0-11 before he added another in between a pair of Walsh frees.
Hegarty’s dead-ball accuracy ensured that Clare were never out of it, though Cork continued to create goal chances without fully capitalising – Ryan Deasy forcing an impressive stop from Sheedy while Finn O’Brien was well blocked down by John Cahill and then also saw an effort repelled by Sheedy.
After yet another exchange of frees between Walsh and Hegarty, it was 0-20 to 1-14 with five minutes left. Doherty, just on for Hegarty, took over the free-taking duties and cut the gap to two, leaving things perfectly poised for Stritch’s late intervention.
F Hegarty 0-7 f, D Stritch, S Boyce 1-1 each, J O’Neill 0-3, D Costelloe, R Kilroy, H Doherty (0-1 f) 0-1 each.
Barry Walsh 0-9 (0-6 f, 0-3 65), B O’Flynn, A O’Sullivan 0-3 each, F O’Brien, John Murphy, O Fitzgerald, Ben Walsh, D O’Connell (0-1 f).
D O’Connell (Dromina); D Cashman (Bride Rovers), J O’Brien (Fermoy), D O’Leary (Ballincollig); Ben Walsh (Killeagh), E Guinane (Valley Rovers), T Wilk (Cobh); P O’Shea (Erin’s Own), O Fitzgerald (St Catherine’s); John Murphy (Mallow), A O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig), R Deasy (Ballymartle); B O’Flynn (Sarsfields), Barry Walsh (Killeagh), F O’Brien (Erin’s Own).
J Wigginton Barrett (St Finbarr’s) for P O’Shea (43), Johnnie Murphy (Dromina) for O’Sullivan (52), D McCarthy (Killeagh) for Fitzgerald (56), M O’Brien (Douglas) for Deasy (60+1).
M Sheedy; J Casey, E Gunning, J Cahill; J Moylan, J Hegarty, E McMahon; D Costelloe, R Kilroy; J Organ, J O’Neill, F Hegarty; M Collins, S Boyce, D Stritch.
L Crotty for Ogan (42), T Lohan for Boyce (49), F Ó Bhroin for Casey (52), R Loftus for McMahon, H Doherty for Hegarty (56).
N O’Toole (Waterford)
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