By Eoin Brennan at Semple Stadium
Cork 0-20 Clare 0-17
Cork fired over the last five points of the game to claim victory over Clare in round 2 of the hurling qualifiers at Semple Stadium.
The injection of pace was noticeable from the outset as these familiar sides reacquainted themselves, with both getting off the mark within 45 seconds of the throw-in through respective full-forwards Seamus Harnedy and Shane O’Donnell.
With the teams also employing sweepers, passing accuracy was pivotal and it was Clare who set the early pace with successive points from Tony Kelly and Conor McGrath to lead by 0-03 to 0-01 by the sixth minute.
True to form, Conor Lehane and Patrick Horgan had levelled matters five minutes later, a pattern that would continue for the remainder of the half as the sides were on level terms on five occasions before Patrick Cronin nudged Cork in front by the break at 0-10 to 0-09.
Worringly for the wind-assisted Rebels, however, was the poor shooting percentage with a less than 50% strike rate in the opening half with a frustrating tally of 11 wides.
Clare had their misses too but more in terms of half chances at goal in which O’Donnell and Kelly were ever-threatening but were well marshalled by the Cork full-back line.
At least the half-time recess allowed the 25,245 in attendance to draw their breath as that relentless seesaw pattern would only be intensified on the restart as Tony Kelly inspired Clare kept on Cork’s coat-tails.
However, with both sides firing a plethora of wides and the Munster rivals locked at 0-15 to 0-15 with just over ten minutes remaining, it seemed as if neither side wanted to win it.
Cue a late Rebel surge as while Clare pushed ahead with points from Clonlara pair Darach Honan and Colm Galvin, it was Cork who finished in style with the last five points, including four from Patrick Horgan to book their place in the All-Ireland quarter-final and a date with Galway on 26 July
Cork: A Nash; S McDonnell, B Murphy, D Cahalane; C Murphy (0-01), M Ellis, A Walsh (0-01); D Kearney, B Lawton; A Cadogan (0-01), B Cooper (0-01), P Cronin (0-02); C Lehane (0-02), S Harnedy (0-02), P Horgan (0-08, 0-05f)
Subs: R O’Shea for Kearney (43), J Coughlan (0-01) for Cadogan (50), P O’Sullivan (0-01) for Cronin (58), D McCarthy for Lawton (65)
Clare: P Kelly; D McInerney (0-01), C Dillon, S Morey; B Bugler, P O’Connor, J Browne; Conor Ryan (0-01), Colin Ryan (0-02, 0-02f); J Conlon, T Kelly (0-05, 0-01f), S Golden (0-01); C McGrath (0-03), S O’Donnell (0-02), D Honan (0-01)
Subs: A Cunningham for Conlon (35), P Donnellan for Colin Ryan (43), C Galvin (0-01) for Golden (48), D Reidy for Morey (57). Conlon for Honan (67)
Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath)
