Tipp U20 hurlers pipped by late Clare free but still secure Munster Final date

O’Neills.com Munster U20 Hurling Championship - Round 5

Tipperary 1-14

Clare 0-18

A bittersweet result greeted Brendan Cummins and his players at full-time of this round 5 O’Neills.com Munster U20 Hurling Championship tie, with a late Conor Whelan free giving visitors Clare the win but also signalled Tipperary’s safe passage into the Munster Final later this month.

A five point loss or fewer or an outright win was what was required for Tipperary going into this game, and they got what they came for although they will be disappointed not to have gotten a result from this game as they were the better team for large spells of the second half.

Clare took a four point lead in at the break thanks to the brilliance of Conor Whelan at corner forward who scored all bar three of Banner's points in the game, and his shooting was the big difference in the first half, and overall, as he finished with a personal tally of 15 points.

Tipperary were the more accomplished team in the second half though, and despite losing Paddy McCormack to injury after 20 minutes, they dominated large parts of the second 30 and had taken a two-point lead after 50 minutes while also leaving two goals behind as Senan Butler had chances to raise green flags while Tipp were in the ascendancy -which added to Oisin O’Donoghue’s major in the 36th minute - would have given Tipp daylight down the home stretch.

However, Clare battled back and wouldn’t go away and they finished the stronger with two injury time points from the aforementioned Whelan winning the day for the visitors, as Tipperary fell to their first defeat of the Munster Championship.

A tricky low lying sun made the first half for the Tipperary forwards difficult with the glare making it difficult for clean possession to be one from deliveries; the ball breaking almost every time for Clare sweeper James Hegarty to make hay.

Despite that, Tipp started the game strongly and had taken a 0-4 to 0-1 lead inside the opening ten minutes with two Darragh McCarthy frees along with points from play from Paddy McCormack and Oisin O’Donoghue making up the scores.

Conor Whelan got that solitary Clare score in the opener and it was a sign of things to come as the corner forward led the Banner charge in the first half, scoring all but one-point of their 11-point total in that time. Whelan hit four of the next five scores on the bounce after the first ten minutes, including two more quality efforts from play and a couple of well taken frees.

Tipperary’s main source of joy coming up front was from Paddy McCormack who was making the ball stick every time and by the 20 minute mark, the sides were level again at 0-1 apiece with two classy McCormack points and a first for Conor Martin making it a level game.

In the first quarter, Tipperary hit some poor wides with two Adam Daly efforts drifting wide with the sides level - and with Paddy McCormack withdrawn after 20 minutes due to a suspected hand injury, it gave Clare a bit of pep as the visitors finished strongly scoring the final four points, all coming from the sharpshooting of Conor Whelan;Tipp needing to come up with a way to quieten the Whitegate shooter with the half-time score reading Clare ahead 0-11 to 0-7.

Tipperary needed to win this game or lose by five-points or less to make a Munster Final outright and avoid a semi-final fixture, and it looked like it was going to be precarious with Clare pointing the opening free of the half through Whelan again.

However, Tipp got a real shot in the arm two minutes later when Senan Butler broke in behind the Clare cover, fed Conor Martin, and despite the Cappawhite player missing hitting his shot, it allowed Oisin O’Donoghue to ghost in a flick the ball to the net. A godsend for Brendan Cummins’ team.

That gave the players a visible and telling boost as they upped through the gears from here and levelled the game by the 49th minute with two Darragh McCarthy frees and a booming long range free from Eoin Horgan which lifted the roof in Thurles. Tipp now well back in contention, tied at 1-11 to 0-14.

The play was now going Tipp’s way in a reversal of the first half run of the game, and when Darragh McCarthy sent Senan Butler through on goal in the 50th minute, it looked like a second goal was coming but the hat-trick hero from the previous week put it just over the crossbar; Tipp now ahead with ten minutes remaining.

Chances were being created for Tipp who had most of the hurling done since half-time but they just couldn’t put Clare into the rearview mirror and despite Sam O’Farrell putting Tipp two ahead a minute later, Clare stuck to their task and had levelled through two Conor Whelan frees by the 58th minute. This one was going right down to the wire.

Tipperary were denied a golden chance for a major in two minutes prior to the Whelan equaliser when Senan Butler again burst through the cover and converged on goal, buried it low with pace but was brilliantly denied by a smart Mark Sheedy stop with his feet.

Darragh McCarthy put Tipp back into the lead with a well-taken free from under the O Riain stand with the clock ticking into the red, but the Banner stayed plugging and managed to manufacture an equalising free in added time. 

Tipperary had a few chances for scores to win the game with the two minutes of added time elapsing, but shots from Darragh McCarthy and Jack Collins went astray as Clare found the free for Conor Whelan to score and win the game late on. 

Despite the loss, Tipperary still did enough to get their place in the Munster Final proper in a few weeks time and will now await the winners of Clare and Cork in the semi-final; the Banner clinching a home venue for that game by virtue of the win.

Scorers: Tipperary: Darragh McCarthy 0-6f, Oisin O’Donoghue 1-1, Paddy McCormack 0-3, Eoin Horgan 0-1f, Conor Martin, Sam O’Farrell, Senan Butler all 0-1 each.

Clare: Conor Whelan (0-16, 0-10f), NIall O’Farrell, Ronan Keane 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Eoin Horgan (Knockavilla Kickham); Chris O’Donnell (Ballylooby Castlegrace), Aaron O’Halloran (Carrick Swans), Podge O’Dwyer (Killenaule); Ronan Connolly (Cashel King Cormacs), Ben Currivan (Golden Kilfeacle), Jack Collins (Ballina); Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Éire Óg), Adam Daly (Knockavilla Kickhams); Cathal English (Fr. Sheehys), Conor Martin (Cappawhite), Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs); Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara), Paddy McCormack (Borris-Ileigh), Senan Butler (Kilsheelan Kilcash).

Subs used: Eoin Craddock (Holycross Ballycahill) for McCormack (20, inj); Mason Cawley (Nenagh Éire Óg) for Connolly (HT); Ciaran Foley (Borrisokane) for Daly (62).

Clare: Mark Sheedy (Sixmilebridge); Eoghan Gunning (Broadford), Ronan Keane (Killanena), John Cahill (Clooney Quin); Evan Maxted (Clooney Quin), James Hegarty (Inagh Kilnamona), James Moylan (Cratloe); Ronan O’Connor (Feakle), Sean Rynne (Inagh Kilnamona); James Organ (Corofin), Niall O’Farrell (Broadford), Ronan Kilroy (Banner); Conor Whelan (Whitegate), Jack O’Neill (Clooney Quin), MIchael Collins (Cratloe).

Subs used: Senan Dunford (Tubber) for Kilroy (52); Eoin McMahon (St. Josephs Doora Barefield) for Maxted (54); Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara) for Keane (56); Liam Crotty ((Scarriff) for Collins (59); James Doherty (Clarecastle) for Organ (59)

Referee: Ciaran O’Regan (Cork)