Defeat for Cork in the Allianz Hurling League

Courtesy of Eoghan Cormican

Clare...0-23
Cork...0-19
A dominant first-half display maintained Clare’s unbeaten start to the Allianz hurling league.
With Wexford defeated yesterday evening, Clare are now the only team in the top flight who have yet to drop points.
For Cork, a second defeat of the spring has them in the bottom half of the table. The first-half was a disaster from their point of view, the visitors to Ennis trailing 0-16 to 0-5 at the break.
John Meyler’s charges went scoreless from the 12th to the 30th minute and failed to find the target from open play for a period of 28 minutes. They finished the half with two scorers, Patrick Horgan accounting for four of their 0-5 total. Luke Meade, who split the posts in the second minute, was the other contributor.
Pic: George Hatchell
For Clare, there wasn’t too much they could complain about during the opening 35 minutes. All bar Shane O’Donnell of their front eight was on the mark and in fairness to O’Donnell, he won a couple of frees and set up a goal chance that Podge Collins was unable to finish. They enjoyed a run of seven unanswered scores and their 11-point interval advantage (0-16 to 0-5) looked - and proved - insurmountable.
Cork’s most productive spell of the game arrived early in the second-half, Patrick Horgan (two frees), Tim O’Mahony and Robbie O’Flynn registering four unanswered points. They still trailed by double scores at this juncture, 0-18 to 0-9, and while the Rebels continued to eat into the Clare advantage as the second-half progressed, the closest they came was the final margin of four points.
There was a 14-minute spell midway through the second-half where Clare failed to raise a flag of any description, a Peter Duggan free ending that barren spell. Tony Kelly and Reidy followed with two in quick succession to move them 0-22 to 0-13 in front.
Both sides could have had goals late on, Donal Tuohy denying Horgan and sub Brian Lawton, Nash repelling a Darragh Corry drive.
Scorers for Clare: P Duggan (0-8, 0-6 frees, 0-2 ‘65s): D Reidy (0-3); M O’Malley, S Morey, C Galvin, T Kelly, J Conlon (0-2 each); N Deasy, P Collins (0-1 each).
Scorers for Cork: P Horgan (0-12, 0-9 frees, 0-2 ‘65s); D Browne, T O’Mahony, M Ellis, L Meade, R O’Flynn, S Harnedy, B Cooper (0-1 each).
Clare: D Tuohy; P O’Connor, C Cleary, J Browne; S Morey, D McInerney, M O’Malley; C Galvin, T Kelly; N Deasy, J Conlon, D Reidy; S O’Donnell, P Duggan, P Collins.
Subs: C Malone for Conlon (51 mins); C McGrath for Collins (57); D Corry for Deasy (60); D Fitzgerald for O’Malley (66); J McCarthy for Galvin (66)
Cork: A Nash; S O’Donoghue, E Cadogan, C Spillane; C Joyce, T O’Mahony, D Browne; M Ellis, D Kearney; R O’Flynn, S Harnedy, B Cooper; L Meade, P Horgan, S Kingston.
Subs: L McLoughlin for Kearney (HT): R O’Shea for Kingston (45); J O’Connor for Meade (51); B Lawton for O’Flynn (61)
Referee: P O’Dwyer (Carlow).