Clare are Munster intermediate hurling champions after beating neighbours Limerick by 1-26 to 2-18 after extra time at the Gaelic Grounds.

In an incident-packed, 80+-minute derby encounter witnessed by 2,319 spectators , the winners had Dara Walsh sent off ten minutes into the second half as well as losing Shane Taylor to a red card at the end of the second period of extra time but still had enough in the tank to see off a Treaty side laden with U21 talent.

The sides were deadlocked at the end of a thrilling first half, 2-6 to 1-9, with Aaron Gillane (in the 18^th minute) and Pat Ryan (29) firing the Treaty goals after Oisin Donnellan netted for the Banner nine minutes in. But Limerick would have wind advantage upon the resumption.

They were still level at full time, Clare corner back Rory Hayes clipping over an injury-time leveller to cancel out a 61^st-minute Mark Carmody strike and make it 1-16 to 2-13 as the teams shared fourteen points in the second half of normal time.

The Banner - who led this match pretty much from start to finish - had the wind at their backs again in the first period of extra time and a run of four successive points from Michael O'Neill, Shane Gleeson (free) and David Conroy (2) helped them lead by 1-22 to 2-15 (25 points to 21) at half time in extra time, with Gleeson tagging on the 22^nd Clare point on 70 minutes.

With both teams now playing on instinct as the night closed in, the visitors outscored their opponents by four points to three during the second additional period to prevail by five.

Clare - D Vaughan; R Hayes (0-1), E Quirke, C Cooney; D Walsh, A McGuane, J McCarthy (0-1); D Conroy (0-3), K Hehir (0-1); O Donnellan (1-1), S McGrath (0-5, 4f), D Corry; C Crehan, R Taylor (0-2), M O'Neill (0-2). Subs: S Gleeson (0-7, 4f) for D Corry, B O'Gorman (0-2) for O Donnellan, D Russell (0-1) for R Taylor, M Lynch for S McGrath, M O'Shea for C Crehan, E Enright for K Hehir, S Taylor for M Lynch.

Limerick - E McNamara; M Casey, B Lynch, S Flanagan; C Ryan, L Lyons (0-1), M Carmody (0-1); W O'Donoghue, A La Touche Cosgrave (0-1); D Dempsey (0-1), R Lynch (0-6, 2f), P Ryan (1-0); A Gillane (1-2, 0-2f), K O'Brien (0-1), P Casey. Subs: O O'Reilly for K O'Brien, B Murphy (0-2) for C Ryan, W Griffin (0-3, 2f, 1'65) for A Gillane, M Fitzgibbon for R Lynch, P Ryan for W O'Donoghue, D Fanning for P Casey.

Referee - J Larkin.

Tweet

Most Read Stories