Gaelic Games

Tipperary book final spot with four-point win over Clare

Tipp captain and dual star Stephen Quirke suffers knee injury at Semple Stadium

Jackie Cahill at Semple Stadium
Thu Jun 25 2015 - 21:41

Tipperary 1-15 Clare 1-11

On a poignant evening for Tipperary hurling, the county's minors honoured the memory of Jimmy Doyle with a four-point victory over Clare in the Electric Ireland Munster minor semi-final.

The Premier County held off a spirited second-half fightback from the visitors to set up a final meeting with Limerick or Cork at Semple Stadium on July 12th.

Tipp were 10 points clear in the second half, 1-11 to 0-4, before Clare came roaring back to cut the gap to just three late on.

Mikey Connors shot over the insurance score for Tipp in stoppage time as they held on to progress to a first provincial decider in this grade since 2012.

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At the break, Tipp led by 1-8 to 0-4 but Clare were wasteful and had eight of their 12 wides registered by half-time.

Tommy Nolan pounced for Tipp's goal in the 26th minute and that was a pivotal score in a fixture that also saw Lyndon Fairbrother and David Gleeson shine.

Aaron Shanagher hit 1-13 for Clare when the sides met last year but the talented Wolfe Tones star suffered on placed balls, before finding his range in the second half as Ken Morrissey's charges began to show what they were made of.

Clare, with Davy Fitzgerald's son Colm in their ranks, sensed a remarkable fightback when Martin Daly netted with 10 minutes left but Tipp held out.

Victory was marred by the loss of captain and dual star Stephen Quirke to a knee injury, with the Moyle Rovers star stretchered off in the 18th minute.

TIPPERARY: P Hayes; E Heffernan, E Moloney, J Quigley; J Skehan, B McGrath, K Hassett; D Carey (0-2), A Tynan (0-1); L McCutcheon, S Quirke, G Ryan (0-1); T Nolan (1-1), D Gleeson (0-4), L Fairbrother (0-5, four frees).

Subs: T Lowry for Quirke (inj, 18 mins), S Neville for McCutcheon (half-time), R Mulrooney for Ryan (45 mins), M Connors (0-1) for Lowry (55 mins), C Darcy for Carey (59 mins).

CLARE: J Loughnane; D Power, S Phelan, R Monahan; D Chaplin, N Fox, C Noonan; C Fitzgerald (0-2, one free, one sideline ball), J Cunningham (0-2); J McCarthy, M O'Shea, A Shanagher (0-5, four frees, one 65); C O'Halloran, M Daly (1-0), P O'Loughlin.

Subs: A Kennedy (0-2) for O’Shea (half-time), P Lillis for Monahan (38 mins), D Devanney for Chaplin (51 mins), P McNamara for O’Halloran (58 mins), S Kennedy for Noonan (59 mins).