National Hurling League Division 1 Group A: Clare 0-20 Waterford 1-16
Clare have made it two wins from two in the National Hurling League after a battling one point win over Waterford in Walsh Park.
The game marked a first appearance of the season for 2023 All Star John Conlon, who was one of five late changes to the starting line up for Clare, as Ian Galvin, Conor Leen, Patrick Crotty and Cian Galvin also came into the team.
Waterford began brightly with Sean Walsh’s goal in the 11th minute putting Davy Fitzgerald’s men 1-4 to 0-3 ahead.
Aidan McCarthy’s free-taking kept Clare in touch with the Banner producing a strong finish to the half as they outscored Waterford 0-4 to 0-1 to ensure parity by the break.
That trend repeated itself early in the second period as a brace of frees from McCarthy along with points from Patrick Crotty and Sean Rynne saw Clare lead by 0-16 to 1-9 after 45 minutes.
Waterford’s dominant scoring threat was through Stephen Bennett frees, with four of the Deise’s starting six forwards not scoring from play, including Bennett.
The home side in Walsh Park finished the game the stronger, but Clare held on to record a one point victory to keep them at the head of the group standings.
Up next for Brian Lohan’s outfit is another road trip as they go to Wexford on Sunday February 25th where a win would all but seal their top three finish to secure a place in Division One for 2025.
