Unbeaten Clare are through to the knockout stage of the league after their 3-13 to 1-19 draw with Kilkenny at Nowlan Park.

The Black & Amber led by 1-16 to 2-9 with an hour played, Ger Aylward with their goal 13 minutes after the restart, but found themselves a point adrift with a minute of normal time remaining after Shane O’Donnell plundered his second goal, 3-12 to 1-17.

Walter Walsh and Alan Murphy – with his seventh converted free – took it in turns to equalise, substitute Aaron Cunningham briefly restoring the Banner County’s lead in between.

Breeze behind them, the table toppers led by 2-7 to 0-10 at the interval, O’Donnell and Ryan Taylor with the goals in the seventh and 23rd minutes respectively. However, with 5,716 looking on, 17 wides scuppered Clare’s chances of recording a fourth straight win, while the Cats dug in to keep their own hopes of progression alive ahead of their last-round trip to Laois next weekend.

Kilkenny - D Brennan; C Browne, H Lawlor, C Wallace; C Delaney, P Deegan, D Mullen (0-1); C Buckley, A Murphy (0-7f); A Mullen (0-2), J Donnelly (0-2), R Leahy (0-1); B Ryan (0-1), R Hogan (0-1), W Walsh (0-2). Subs: G Aylward (1-1) for A Mullen, T Walsh for C Browne, B Sheehan for R Hogan, E Cody (0-1) for B Ryan.

Clare - D Tuohy; L Corry, P O’Connor, J Browne; S O’Halloran, C Cleary A McCarthy; D McInerney, T Kelly (0-7, 4f); D Reidy (0-1), J Conlon (0-1), D McMahon; R Taylor (1-0), S O’Donnell (2-1), C Guilfoyle (0-1). Subs: A Shanahan for J Conlon, D Ryan (0-1) for C Guilfoyle, A Cunningham (0-1) for D Reidy, P Collins for R Taylor, S Morey for D McMahon.

Referee - L Gordon.

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