Clare 1-25

Cork 2-19

Eoin Brennan reports from Cusack Park

IT TOOK A late goal from Clare substitute Seadna Morey to finally ensure a third successive Cusack Park victory over Cork in the space of twelve months in Ennis.

In front of a healthy yet expectant 7,380 attendance on both sides of the divide, it was Clare who edged matters on the balance of place and the scoreboard albeit that it was a result that couldn’t have been foreseen by the break.

Backed by a strong gale, a Mark Rodgers inspired Banner soared 0-9 to 0-3 clear by the end of the opening quarter, only to see all their early work undone by a brace of Cork goals in the space of nine minutes.

An incisive Sean Twomey break split the home defence for Shane Kingston to feed the clinical Patrick Horgan at the edge of the square for the first in the 19th minute. Clare carved out an identical chance only minutes later when David Fitzgerald bore down on goal before supplying Rodgers at the back post but goalkeeper Patrick Collins was quick off his line to deflect the ball away for a ’65.

That save would be magnified when in the 28th minute, a Horgan lineball caught the Clare defence napping as Robbie O’Flynn picked out the overlapping Tommy O’Connell to sidestep the last defence and unleash a bullet to the top left corner of the net at 0-11 to 2-5.

A shellshocked Clare did recover enough through Robin Mounsey to inch back in front by the interval at 0-14 to 2-7 but considering the strength of the wind, it didn’t seem enough to be able to withstand a buoyant Cork.

Amazingly however, there would only be one team to emerge in determined fashion on the restart as a defiant Banner grabbed seven of the first eight points of the new half including five Rodgers frees to soar seven points clear by the turn of the final quarter at 0-21 to 2-8.

Cork did eventually gather momentum, predominantly inspired by a character-filled display from Ciaran Joyce, to lower the arrears to just two entering the final ten minutes.

However, any hopes of a full recovery were dashed by Morey’s emphatic 65th minute strike that provided the spark for Clare to match their opponents for the remainder and hold on for what could be a valuable opening victory considering next year’s National Hurling League restructuring.

Next up for the Banner is an early Davy derby in Waterford on Sunday while Pat Ryan’s side welcome Kilkenny to the newly renamed Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in search of their first points next Saturday evening at 7.30pm.

Scorers for Clare: Mark Rodgers 0-13 (10f, 1’65), Seadna Morey 1-1, Cathal Malone 0-2, Robin Mounsey 0-2, David Reidy 0-2, David Fitzgerald 0-2, David McInerney 0-1, Gearoid Sheedy 0-1, Shane Meehan 0-1

Scorers for Cork: Patrick Horgan 1-7 (7f), Shane Kingston 0-3, Tommy O’Connell 1-0, Conor Lehane 0-2, Shane Barrett 0-2, Cormac O’Brien 0-1, Robbie O’Flynn 0-1, Sean O’Donoghue 0-1, Ciaran Joyce 0-1, Sean Twomey 0-1

Clare

Eibhear Quilligan

Conor Cleary, Paul Flanagan, Adam Hogan

Diarmuid Ryan, David McInerney, Darragh Lohan

Cathal Malone, Sean Rynne

David Fitzgerald, Robin Mounsey, Gearoid Sheedy

Mark Rodgers, Aidan McCarthy, David Reidy

Subs

• Seadna Morey for Rynne (HT)
• Peter Duggan for Sheedy (49)
• Shane Meehan for McCarthy (53)
• Patrick Crotty for Mounsey (66)
• Keith Smyth for Reidy (68)

Cork

Patrick Collins

Niall O’Leary, Eoin Roche, Sean O’Donoghue

Tommy O’Connell, Ciaran Joyce, Cormac O’Brien

Brian Roche, Eoin Carey

Shane Kingston, Conor Lehane, Sean Twomey

Robbie O’Flynn, Patrick Horgan, Brian Hayes

Subs

• Luke Meade for B. Roche (47)
• Shane Barrett for Hayes (54)
• Micheál Mullins for Carey (61)
• Robbie Cotter for O’Flynn (67)
• Jack O’Connor for Lehane (68)

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)

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