Munster U20 Hurling Championship: Clare 0-21 Tipperary 3-21
While goals were the difference on the scoreboard, it doesn’t go the full way in telling the story of a game that Tipperary dominated from start to finish.
Brendan Cummins side raided for their three goals in the second period, with the final one coming as the last act of the contest to really flesh out the final margin.
Dominance in the middle third, particularly on restarts, coupled with a more cohesive forward line, gave the Premier a platform to build on which led to an ultimately comfortable victory.
Senior stars Darragh McCarthy and captain Sam O’Farrell played huge parts for the visitors to Sixmilebridge, with McCarthy almost flawless from placed balls across the contest. Not for the first time this year, the concession of soft and avoidable frees was an issue for Clare, with McCarthy only too happy to oblige with the punishment.
A crucial period of the game was a two minute spell just before the break, at a time when Clare had reduced the arrears to the minimum. A quickfire brace of points for Tipp not only saw them lead by 0-12 0-9 heading to the dressing room, but also killed the momentum that Clare had been trying to build.
The first hammer blow for Tipp arrived inside the opening five minutes of the new half as Conor Martin finished the first of his two green flags to send his side into a 1-13 to 0-10 lead.
It sparked a dominant spell which was emphasised when Paddy McCormack produced a piece of individual brilliant to put the Premier 2-16 to 0-12 clear and kill off any hope of a comeback from the home side.
It means Clare’s fate will be decided in their final round tie against Limerick in Rathkeale in a fortnights time, with a semi final spot still very much in the Banner’s sights.
