Cork U20 0-20 Clare U20 2-15
Clare will face Tipperary in next Wednesday's oneills.com Munster U20 hurling decider after Diarmuid Stritch's 59th-minute goal helped the Banner to a 2-15 to 0-20 victory over Cork at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Barry Walsh and Daniel O’Connell struck first for the hosts, but Clare responded and edged 0-03 to 0-02 ahead by the sixth minute.
However, Clare's early profligacy in front of the posts was punished by the Rebels, who raced five points clear by the 15th minute via scores from Barry Walsh (two), Barry O'Flynn, Finn O'Brien, Ben Walsh and John Murphy.
Moments after Clare goalkeeper Mark Sheedy thwarted Finn O'Brien, the visitors found the back of the net through Seán Boyce to reduce Cork's lead to a single point at 0-11 to 1-07.
Jack O’Neill levelled matters, but Cork re-established their advantage, with points from O’Flynn and Ben Walsh ensuring they led by 0-13 to 1-08 at the interval.
That scoreline would have been rather different if Cork's Adam O’Sullivan hadn't seen his shot rebound off the crossbar just before the half-time whistle, while Clare also had a goal opportunity for Jamie Moylan saved.
On the resumption, Clare were fast out of the blocks and hit the lead after two frees from Fred Hegarty and a point from play from Ronan Kilroy.
A feature of Cork's performance was an inability to convert goalscoring chances, with wides, saves and sliotars fizzing over the crossbar for points ultimately proving their downfall.
Adam O’Sullivan equalised to make it 0-14 to 1-11, but will have rued the fact his shot wasn't a little lower.
Barry Walsh and Hegarty traded a number of frees, with O'Sullivan and O’Flynn adding Cork points from play to make it 0-20 to 0-14 with just over five minutes remaining.
Hegarty had exited the fray when substitute Harry Doherty stepped up and proved an able free-taking deputy to cut Cork's lead to two points.
The crucial goal arrived when Clare launched a counter-attack at pace, with Michael Collins setting up Stritch for a close-range finish to ambush Cork.
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