Munster U20 Hurling Championship: Clare 2-27 Waterford 1-11
Clare booked their spot in the semi-final of the Munster U20 hurling championship with a 19 point win over Waterford in Cusack Park.
In a game that never really sparked as a contest, Waterford opened up an early 0-4 to 0-2 lead.
A brilliant Michael Collins goal saw Clare wrest back the lead and it was the accuracy of Whitegate’s Conor Whelan that saw the Banner kick on to take complete control.
Clare dominated the second quarter to hit 1-6 without reply as they led 1-8 to 0-4 at the break.
Waterford did stage a mini revival after the restart as they reeled off four unanswered scores to cut the gap to four, but Clare responded to open up a 1-18 to 0-11 lead with ten minutes to go.
A dominant final surge saw Clare hit 1-7 without reply, with the goal coming after a brilliant pass from Whelan was hammered home by Organ to the net.
Waterford did get a consolation goal with one of the final acts of the game, but Clare ran out comfortable and deserving winners to ensure a top three finish.
It leaves Clare with a +15 scoring difference, but Tipperary sit on top of the round robin standings with a scoring difference of +27 after their impressive win over Cork.
Clare would need to beat Tipperary by 7 or more points in next weekend’s tie in Semple Stadium in order to overturn the positions, while a win of any lesser margin would secure a home semi-final. If Clare lose or draw the game, it means they will be on the road against Cork in that semi-final.