Tipperary 2-10
Clare 1-17
CLARE ARE BORD Gáis Energy Munster U21 hurling champions for the second year in a row.
The classy Banner County ran out four-point winners against Tipperary in front of 8296 spectators this evening.
Clare lined ten of the team that started last year’s final and claimed a third Munster crown in this grade.
And they were full value for the win as Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor plotted further underage success.
And Clare march on to an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Galway on August 24 harbouring high hopes of retaining their national crown.
There was a gulf in class in Thurles as Jason Forde, scorer of 2-7, offered token Tipperary resistance.
Clare finished with 14 players when Seadna Morey was dismissed for a second bookable offence in stoppage time.
From the resultant penalty, Forde netted but it was an academic goal with time up.
Forde had also raised a green flag in the 45th minute to give Tipp a glimmer of hope.
They trailed by 1-9 to 1-14 but Clare hit back with two unanswered points to steady the ship again.
Clare, fielding six of the starters from the recent senior quarter-final victory over Galway, were excellent in the first half.
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, were didn’t manage a score 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 would extend that to six points by half-time.
But Tipp were aggrieved in the 30th minute when O’Connell drove a free a foot wide at the Town End – but the ‘point’ was allowed to stand.
Scorers for Tipperary: J Forde 2-7 (1-0 pen, 0-6f, 0-1 65), L McGrath 0-2 (1f), N O’Meara 0-1.Scorers for Clare: C O’Connell 0-8 (6f), P Duggan 1-0, C Galvin, T Kelly, P Collins & A Cunningham 0-2 each, S O’Donnell 0-1.
TIPPERARY: Darragh Mooney (Éire Óg Annacarty); Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill), Michael Breen (Ballina), Andrew Ryan (Toomevara); Joe O’Dwyer (Killenaule), Tomás Hamill (Killea) Seamus Kennedy (St Mary’s, Clonmel); Justin Cahill (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Brian Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons); Tommy Heffernan (Éire Óg Nenagh), Jason Forde (Silvermines), Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Aidan McCormack (Thurles Sarsfields), Bill Walsh (Carrick Swan), Liam McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney).
CLARE: Ronan Taaffe (Tubber); Paul Flanagan (Ballyea), David McInerney (Tulla), Jack Browne (Ballyea); Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge) Alan O’Neill (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield), Stephen O’Halloran (Clarecastle); Colm Galvin (Clonlara), Tony Kelly (Ballyea); Peter Duggan (Clooney Quin), Podge Collins (Cratloe), Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg); Davy O’Halloran (Éire Óg), Aaron Cunningham (Wolfe Tones), Cathal O’Connell (Clonlara).
Subs for Tipperary: John McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) for Heffernan (28), Colin O’Riordan (JK Brackens) for Cahill (36), Tadhg Gallagher (Kildangan) for Walsh (41), John Meagher (Loughmore-Castleiney) for Stapleton (49), Michael O’Brien (Thurles Sarsfields) for McCormack (57).
Subs for Clare: Jamie Shanahan (Sixmilebridge) for D O’Halloran (55), Cathal Malone (Ennistymon) for Duggan (56), Niall Arthur (Inagh Kilnamona) for Cunningham (60+1).
Referee: Shane Hourigan (Limerick).
