Cathal O’Neill the star as U20 hurlers squeeze past Clare

LIMERICK left it late to seal the win in the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Cathal O’Neill was the hero in the Gaelic Grounds as he hit 1-1 in injury time to help Limerick to a one-point win over Clare in the Munster U20 Hurling Championship first round.

In the end it finished 3-7 to 0-15 in Limerick’s favour with the Crecora Manister the difference on the evening with 2-3 from play.

Clare led by seven at the break, capatalising on the strong wind in the Gaelic Grounds.

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Clare meet Cork in round two next week where a loss would signal the end of their campaign. Limerick take on Cork the following week in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

The game was barely ten seconds old when Colin Coughlan put his side into the lead with a trademark score from wing back.

A minute later Limerick appeared to be cruising as Cathal O’Neill slalomed through the defence before firing to the net.

Yet, by the time Limerick next had a score, O’Neill with a point, Clare had moved into the lead.

Indeed there was eighteen minutes between scores from the Crecora Manister man with Clare shooting five in the meantime, albeit with the aid of a wind.

Shane Punch was the first to get Clare off the mark as Pa Crotty and Colm O’Meara also found the target with Punch giving Clare the lead on 18 minutes.

And O’Neill’s retort on 19 minutes proved to be Limerick’s final score of the half as Clare took advantage of the conditions.

In that time, Jack Kirwan, Diarmuid Cahill, Crotty, Keith Smyth, and Punch (x3) hit the target as Clare took a 0-12 to 1-2 lead into the interval.

Clare started in a similar vein despite the wind with Smyth getting his second. It coul have been worse for Limerick but for the intervention of Conor Hanley Clarke who stopped O’Meara at point blank range.

At the other end, Limerick started to fire, Aidan O’Connor getting his first.

The hosts then fond their second goal as Patrick Kirby pulled first time on the ground to the net. Eddie Stokes had appeared to set Shane O’Brien free but the Clare defence did well to clear the ball, only for Kirby to pounce.

O’Connor then popped over a handy free after Coughlan was fouled en route to goal to make it a three point game.

But with fifteen to play, the gap was back out to five after successive scores from Conner Hegarty and Cian Galvin.

Jimmy Quilty, who moved into midfield and O’Neill led the fightback for Limerick as it read 0-15 to 2-6 in Clare’s favour with five to play.

O’Neill and Adam English both had chances to reduce the margin but shot for goal which Cian Broderick stood up to. O’Connor looked clean through with two minutes of injury time to play only for a heroic Clare block.

But O’Neill did get his second, a 30-yard free rifled to the net to level with time as good as up. But that wasn’t enough for the Crecora Manister man who found the winner form the next possesion to bring his tally to 2-3 and give Limerick the valuable win.

The post Cathal O’Neill the star of the show as a late burst eeks Limerick past Clare in Munster U20 Championship appeared first on Sporting Limerick.