Round-up: Fulfil Munster U20 Championship action
Tipperary U20 and senior hurler Oisín O'Donoghue. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Fulfil Munster U20 Hurling Championship round 5
Cork 4-19 Clare 2-21
Tipperary 4-20 Limerick 2-8
They’ll have to come back and do it all over again next Wednesday after Cork defeated Clare to claim a home Munster U20 semi-final against the Banner at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Tipperary were the night’s big winners, thrashing Limerick to take the direct route to the final as table-toppers on score difference (Tipp +20, Cork +14, Clare +1).
On his return to U20 action, Cork senior Barry Walsh was held scoreless in the first half, but came up with the match-winning 1-5 contribution after the break. His rob also created Finn O’Brien’s 58th-minute goal before launching the insurance point from his own 45.
The Cork net had to withstand a stoppage-time barrage as Óisín Walsh saved from Fred Hegarty and Michael Collins.
The Banner had strong contributions from Thomas O’Connor (2-2) and Hegarty (0-8), who both matched Barry Walsh’s haul. Paul Rodgers fed O’Connor for the opening goal in the fifth minute, 1-1 to 0-2, and Clare led throughout the first half.
Cork got their first goal in the 13th minute. Barry O’Flynn’s initial shot was blocked by Eoghan Gunning, but the Rebel captain swooped in to rattle the net; 1-5 to 1-4.
Ronan Kilroy had four first-half points, but Cork struck the last two from Zack Biggane and James O’Brien (free) to close the half-time deficit to one; 1-11 to 1-10.
They flipped that with the first 1-2 of the second half as O’Flynn fed Johnny Murphy to finish.
Clare jumped ahead with 1-2 of their own. Gunning, Rodgers, and Hegarty were involved before O’Connor tucked away his second goal. After a super fetch, Rodgers was denied another by Óisín Walsh.
Cork countered to Barry Walsh, who had just been relocated to full-forward. He shook off a foul and beat two more defenders to blast a precise shot inside the far post. That six-point swing made it 3-13 to 2-15. Finn O’Brien hit the net, but they still had to hold on through three minutes of stoppage-time chaos.
Meanwhile, as already-eliminated Limerick fielded without their senior players, Tipperary ran out 4-20 to 2-8 victors to secure top spot on score difference.
David Costigan got them up and running with a third-minute goal and Jamie Ormond moved them six clear on the quarter-hour mark by raising another green flag.
That sparked a 1-6 streak against the wind to leave the Premier 2-10 to 0-4 ahead at the break.
After Charlie Ryan smacked the crossbar, Costigan tapped in his second goal. Dara Ferland soon netted Limerick’s first major after grabbing a long delivery and Jack Cosgrove struck another blow to Tipp’s score-difference mission with a super solo goal.
Tipp senior Oisín O’Donoghue was sprung from the bench. He had a front-row view of Cormac Fitzpatrick’s goal from the subsequent puck-out. The Drom-Inch free-taker finished with 1-9, while Costigan tallied 2-3.
