Clare’s McGrath Cup campaign of 2023 has come to an end following defeat to Cork in Quilty this afternoon.
It was the rebel’s who hit the ground running in West Clare with full forward Brian Hurley pointing inside the opening minute , before Jamie Malone split the posts to put the banner county back on level terms.
St.Finbarr’s sharpshooter Stephen Sherlock reinstated the rebel advantage shortly afterwards kicking his first of three points in the opening half before Clare captain Eoin Cleary equalized with his first placed ball of the day.
There was concern for Clare on eighteen minutes when Jamie Malone had to withdraw due to a leg injury, however his replacement Pearse Lillis would make an immediate impact on the scoreboard.
Furhter scores from Chris Óg Jones and Brian Hurley ensured Cork held a double scores advantage at half-time on a score line of 0-06 to 0-03.
The rebels picked up from where they had left off at the restart with Brian Hurley yet again first to score, however the Banner comeback soon followed suit with Keelan Sexton, Eoin Cleary and Podge Collins closing the gap back to one with just fifteen minutes left on the clock.
However the elusive Stephen Sherlock would immediately quell the Clare uprising scoring 1-01 in the space of just four minutes to stretch the rebel advantage out to 1-08 to 0-06.
David Sexton pulled off a superb save in the Clare goal to keep the banner in touch and when his fellow Kilmurry-Ibrickane man Keelan Sexton pointed on fifty-seven minutes to leave the scores at 1-09 to 0-08, a comeback was still in sight.
However a late Chris Óg Jones goal for Cork on sixty-six minutes would prove to be the final score of the day as it finished in Quilty on a score line of Clare 0-10 to Cork 2-08.
