Ballyea have begun the defence of their Clare and Munster titles with a victory.
They were forced to dig deep to see off the challenge of Wolfe Tones, winning by 1-16 to 0-12.
In what was a tight opening half, Ballyea led by 0-6 to 0-5 with the sides being level on 4 different occasions in the first 30 minutes.
After the break, Ballyea outscored their opponents by 0-5 to 0-1 in the first 15 minutes to open up a 3 point lead.
Wolfe Tones fought back to hit the next two scores to leave just a point between the sides once more, but from here Ballyea took control.
Tony Kelly struck for a crucial goal with eight minutes to play which left his side 1-12 to 0-10 clear.
From there it was clear there would only be one winner, with the defending champions hitting the last three scores of the game to ensure a 7 point win.
They now go through to the winners round with Wolfe Tones facing a nervous wait to see who they will face in a winners takes all battle in the losers section.
Scorers
Ballyea: Tony Kelly 1-4, Niall Deasy 0-7 (0-6f), Stan Lineen & Pat Joe Connolly 0-2 each, Gary Brennan 0-1.
Wolfe Tones: Aron Shanagher 0-8 (0-7f), Aaron Cunningham 0-4 (1f, 1″65).
