Tipperary 2-15
Clare 0-12
TWO LATE GOALS finally catapulted Tipperary into the last four of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship in Cusack Park this evening in front of an attendance of 1,191.
Despite holding a commanding seven point lead by the midway point, Tipperary certainly needed a strong finish after a resurgent Clare whittled the deficit to just three with only minutes remaining.
However, after a Mark Kehoe shot was excellently saved by home goalkeeper Killian Nugent, Tipperary would make the breakthrough in the next passage of play as Kehoe seized upon a defensive error to unleash the unmarked Cian Darcy to billow the net.
It seemed to lift a weight off the visitors’ shoulders as they finished with aplomb, with substitute Dylan Walsh firing to the net with his first touch to flesh out the final margin.
Clare are the first team out of this year’s championship, having been sucker-punched by a late brace of goals in both their derby outings against Limerick and Tipperary. However, with ten wides over the hour, the Banner will rue missed chances against a physically superior Premier side.
Level at 0-4 to 0-4 by the end of the first quarter, Tipperary upped the ante considerably until the break as they outscored their hosts by 0-8 to 0-1 including three superb Ger Browne points to power to a 0-12 to 0-5 interval advantage.
Clare hit back with four points in as many minutes in the third quarter, two from Ian Murray but with Browne and Kehoe in excellent scoring form, they would restore a six point lead entering the final quarter.
Captain Sean O’Loughlin, Murray and substitute Conor Lynch set up a tense climax as Clare halved the arrears by the 57th minute but a lack of physicality meant that they never looked like getting an equalising goal.
Instead, it was the visitors who found the net when it mattered most to set up a semi-final meeting with Cork in Pairc Uí Rinn on Thursday, 30 June.
Meanwhile, in tonight’s Leinster minor football championship game, Offaly edged past Wicklow by a single point at Aughrim. The visitors prevailed 1-13 to 2-9.
Scorers for Tipperary: Ger Browne (0-4), Mark Kehoe (0-4); Cian Darcy (1-1); Dylan Walsh (1-0); Lyndon Fairbrother (0-2, 1f), Shane Neville (0-2); Jerry Kelly (0-1), Paddy Cadell (0-1)
Scorers for Clare: Ian Murray (0-5, 4f); Sean O’Loughlin (0-2); Conor Tierney (0-1), David Fitzgerald (0-1), Sean Kennedy (0-1), Kieran Galvin (0-1), Conor Lynch (0-1)
Tipperary
1. Ciaran Barrett (Clonmel Óg)
2. Cillian O’Dwyer (Killenaule)
6. Michael Whelan (Carrick Davins)
5. Gavin Dunne (Holycross-Ballycahill)
4. Jerome Cahill (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
17. Cian Flanagan (Newport)
3. Brian McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney)
10. Ger Browne (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams)
18. Paddy Cadell (JK Brackens)
20. Rian Doody (Cappawhite)
14. Cian Darcy (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
12. Mark Kehoe (Kilsheelan-Kilcash)
15. Lyndon Fairbrother (JK Brackens)
21. Jerry Kelly (Borris-Ileigh)
13. Shane Neville (Lattin Cullen)
Subs:
8. Bryan O’Mara (Holycross-Ballycahill) for Cadell (39 mins)
9. Jake Morris (Nenagh Éire Óg) for Kelly (42 mins)
11. Dillon Quirke (Clonoulty-Rossmore) for Neville (48 mins)
19. Kieran Breen (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams) for Fairbrother (54 mins)
22. Dylan Walsh (Ballingarry) for Doody (62 mins)
Clare
1. Killian Nugent (O’Callaghan’s Mills)
2. Cian McInerney (Inagh-Kilnamona)
3. Damien O’Loughlin (Corofin)
4. Keith White (Inagh-Kilnamona)
5. Tobias O’Meara (Killanena)
6. Cathal Noonan (Killanena)
7. Ross Hayes (Crusheen)
8. Kieran Galvin (Clonlara)
9. David Fitzgerald (Clonlara)
10. Gary Cooney (O’Callaghan’s Mills)
11. Conor Tierney (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
12. Sean Kennedy (Kilmaley)
14. Sean O’Loughlin (Kilmaley)
13. Ian Murray (Bodyke)
15. Aidan Kennedy (Kilmaley)
Subs:
17. Sean Costelloe (Wolfe Tones) for Hayes (half-time)
19. Tadhg Connellan (Éire Óg) for Tierney (half-time)
20. Conor Lynch (Ballyea) for Fitzgerald (37 mins)
24. Bryan Conway (Wolfe Tones) for Galvin (51 mins)
Referee: Joe Larkin (Cork)
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