Cork 1-24 Clare 0-24
Conor Lehane's first-minute goal gave a more experienced Cork side a Munster Hurling League victory over Clare at Páirc Uí Rinn.
Lehane had 1-03 before being rested at half-time, while Shane Kingston added 0-08. They could’ve won by far more but for 22 wides to Clare’s three.
The Banner had impressive performances from Cathal Malone and Robin Mounsey (0-04), while free-taker Aidan McCarthy tallied 0-13 by the end.
Cork are scheduled to face Limerick on Wednesday at Rathkeale, with the winners to meet Waterford in next Sunday’s final. A draw would send John Kiely’s side through.
Pat Ryan had named the same team as were due to start their postponed opener against Limerick last weekend, although late switches saw Cathal McCarthy, Ciarán Joyce, and Brian Roche replace Seán O’Donoghue, Conor O’Callaghan and Darragh Fitzgibbon.
Brian Lohan made a full quota of 15 changes from their midweek loss to the All-Ireland champions, including a pre-match call-up for Stephen Conway in place of Keelan Hartigan.
There were debuts for Tadhg Dean, Aidan Moriarty, Cian Barron, and Killian O’Connor, plus first starts for another handful of hopefuls.
The hosts had the greater exposure to this level, though, and their most seasoned campaigner popped up with a goal after 59 seconds. Lehane latched onto debutant Brion Saunderson’s puck-out and he went all the way to rattle the net.
Cork held that cushion for most of the half, with Lehane adding three points, Kingston scoring 0-08, four of those from play, and Robbie Cotter impressing with an efficient three points.
At the other end, Mounsey started centre-forward and he prospered with four points, while McCarthy reeled off 0-07.
They were level for the only time in the 24th minute, 1-07 to 0-10, but Cork had the next three points in a row and never looked back. Jack O’Connor twice threatened goal, hooked by Conor Cleary the first time and then whizzing the sliotar just over.
By half-time, they had forged five ahead, 1-16 to 0-14. It could’ve been more given the 9-1 wide count.
The scoring rate dropped sharply with four substitutions on either side at the break, and Cork replacement Declan Dalton limped off soon after.
Conn Smyth hooked Brian Hayes to deny Cork a second goal but they maintained their lead with points from subs Darragh Flynn and Cormac Beausang.
They looked home and hosed at 1-22 to 0-18 with 11 minutes on the clock but Clare reeled off the next six points, including a pair for Keith Smyth, to leave one in the difference before frees from Flynn and Saunderson made it safe.
Cork: B Saunderson (0-01f); C McCarthy, R Downey, G Millerick; C Joyce, T O’Connell, C O’Brien; E Carey (0-01), B Roche; S Twomey, C Lehane (1-03), S Kingston (0-08, 3f, 1 65); J O’Connor (0-01), B Hayes (0-01), R Cotter (0-04).
Subs: D O’Leary for Joyce (h-t), S Quirke for Roche (h-t), D Dalton for Twomey (h-t), D Flynn (0-03, 2f) for Lehane (h-t), S Barrett for Dalton (42, inj), R O’Flynn (0-01) for Kingston (44), C Beausang (0-01) for O’Connor (49), E Roche for O’Brien (58), S O’Donoghue for Carey (69).
Clare: C Broderick; D Tuohy, C Cleary, S Morey; T Dean, D McMahon, O Cahill; A Moriarty, C Malone (0-01); G Sheedy, R Mounsey (0-04), K O’Connor (0-01); C Barron (0-02), A McCarthy (0-13, 10f), S Conway.
Subs: Ross Hayes for Cahill (32), C Smyth for Dean (h-t), P Donnellan for Moriarty (h-t), C O’Meara (0-01) for O’Connor (h-t), É Crimmins for Conway (h-t), K Smyth (0-02) for Mounsey (47), J Kirwan for Sheedy (50), K Hartigan for McMahon (58), D Cahill for Barron (58).
Referee: É Stapleton (Limerick).
Tipperary 1-28 Kerry 1-14
Tipperary overcame a sluggish first half to run out 14-point winners against Kerry in their Munster Hurling League clash in Nenagh.
Kerry inflicted an ominous upset against Tipperary in the same competition in 2022, a harbinger of things to come for the Premier that year, and they were highly competitive early on here. Shane Conway was on point from placed balls as they led 0-06 to 0-05 after 15 minutes.
Tipp wrested the initiative in the second quarter to lead by three at the break, Gearoid O'Connor, Sean Kenneally and Barry Heffernan carrying the scoring load. Dan Goggin's 25th-minute goal helped the Kingdom keep pace.
Only three separated the sides until O'Connor converted a penalty on 47 minutes, Tipp's chief marksman ending with 1-10 in total, the bulk from placed balls.
The game petered out from there, O'Connor, Kenneally and Conor Whelan clipping over scores as they pushed the margin out to 14 by the end.
WALSH CUP-ROUND UP
Wexford 3-20 Carlow 0-19
Keith Rossiter's reign in Wexford began with a victory, Lee Chin firing 2-07 as they ran out 10-point winners over Carlow in the Dioralyte Walsh Cup in Chadwick's Wexford Park.
The Joe McDonagh champions shipped a heavy beating to Kilkenny during the week but were competitive early on here, going toe to toe with Wexford until the 20th minute when Chin forced home the opening goal to open a four-point gap.
Four minutes later, Chin buried his second from the penalty spot to leave the score at 2-08 to 0-07.
The teams traded points on repeat for much of the next 40 minutes, the margin hovering between six and eight until the closing stages.
Shortly before the end, Kevin Foley intercepted a loose puckout and fed Jack Doran to fire Wexford's third goal.
The game wound up at 3-20 to 0-19, with Cian Byrne and Damien Reck both plundering 0-03 apiece.
Galway 6-29 Laois 2-20
Declan McLaughlin bagged a hat-trick as Galway cut loose in the second half to dispatch Laois by 18 points in Duggan Park, Ballinasloe.
The Portumna youngster made headlines last year with a late equaliser against Kilkenny in the Leinster SHC and fired home three goals, while another newcomer, Sarsfields' Alex Connaire rustled up 2-01 in the other corner.
Laois did start brightly, registering the first two points of the game through Stephen 'Picky' Maher and Cody Comerford. But Connaire responded with a fourth-minute goal to wipe out that advantage.
McLaughlin rattled the net for the first time to make it 2-05 to 0-05 on 20 minutes before Maher blasted a goal for the visitors after being laid on by David Dooley.
While the gap was a mere seven - 2-13 to 1-09 - at half-time, Galway shifted up through the gears in the second, running up an eventual tally of 6-29. Jason Flynn, who finished with 1-09 overall, joined McLaughlin and Connaire in raising a green flag.
In midfield, Donal O'Shea and Gavin Lee impressed, with 0-03 and 0-04 respectively. While Aaron Dunphy clipped home a goal on 62 minutes, Willie Maher's side were long a beaten docket by that point.
Dublin 2-31 Antrim 1-20
Dublin booked their spot in the semi-final with a 14-point win over Antrim in Parnell Park.
After a dominant opening victory over Westmeath, the Dubs were always in command here with 14 different scorers over the course of the afternoon.
Commercials Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing was especially prominent, lashing home a goal on the stroke of half-time to leave the gap at 10 at the break and finishing with 1-06 in total.
It was a canter in the second half, Lucan's Paul Crummey rattling the net on 50 minutes to make it 2-21 to 0-11 on a day when Joe Flanagan, Conor Burke and Davy Keogh also scored freely.
Though long a beaten docket, Antrim did rustle the net themselves in the dying embers, the prolific Rian McMullan - who struck 1-09 overall - finding the net.
