{"id":424071,"date":"2026-04-29T21:41:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T21:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/424071\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T21:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T21:41:09","slug":"munster-u20hc-barry-walsh-scores-1-5-as-cork-edge-out-clare-but-will-meet-banner-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/424071\/","title":{"rendered":"Munster U20HC:\u00a0 Barry Walsh scores 1-5 as Cork edge out Clare but will meet Banner again"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Cork 4-19\n <\/p>\n

\n Clare 2-21\n <\/p>\n

A four-goal haul helped Cork to beat Clare in Wednesday\u2019s Fulfil Munster U20HC game at SuperValu P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh \u2013 setting up a semi-final against the same opposition at the same venue a week later.<\/p>\n

With Cork, Clare and Tipperary having all guaranteed qualification for the knockout stage, the unknowable beforehand was the order of progression. While Cork\u2019s win, with Barry Walsh to the fore in the closing stages, put them in the frame to finish top and take the direct route to the decider, Tipperary\u2019s big win over an already-eliminated Limerick forced a three-way tie, giving them the golden ticket on scoring difference.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Cork will take much satisfaction from the way they put themselves into the lead and then held it in the face of Clare pressure.<\/p>\n

Trailing by a point, 1-11 to 1-10, at half-time, Noel Furlong\u2019s enjoyed a dream start to the second half.<\/p>\n

Centre-back Colm Garde levelled with a boomer and then, following a Clare wind, wing-back made a dart to the opposing 65 \u2013 goalkeeper Ois\u00edn Walsh found him with a wind-assisted puckout and he worked the ball to captain Barry O\u2019Flynn, who in turn fed Johnny Murphy for a goal.<\/p>\n

\"Cork'sCork’s Barry Walsh tackled by Clare’s Matthew O’Halloran and Jamie Moylan. Picture: Eddie O’Hare<\/p>\n

James O\u2019Brien \u2013 still on free-taking duties despite the return of Barry Walsh \u2013 scored his fifth point to leave it 2-13 to 1-11 and it seemed like the major question for the remainder of the half would be if Cork could finish ahead of Tipp on scoring difference.<\/p>\n

However, a Clare side that had won their previous three games had other ideas. While Michael Collins\u2019 third point was answered by Barry Walsh\u2019s first of the evening, Clare closed to within two thanks to Fred Hegarty and half-back Ryan Hayes before Hegarty provided the assist for Thomas O\u2019Connor to get his second goal of the evening.<\/p>\n

A win for the visitors would have had the dual effect of giving them the Munster final spot while sending Cork to Thurles for the semi and that might have happened had Paul Rodgers\u2019 shot not been well-saved by Ois\u00edn Walsh.<\/p>\n

Instead, Cork hit for their third goal \u2013 Zack Biggane finding Walsh, who extricated himself from a challenge that had yielded an advantage call and then fired into the side of the net.<\/p>\n

That left it 3-13 to 2-14 and when Cork got three of the next four points, there was the slightest glimmer that they might be able to pull clear and build the lead as they needed to.<\/p>\n

Instead, Clare came back, with Hegarty doing much to keep them in touch.<\/p>\n

His seventh point left it 3-17 to 2-19 but Barry Walsh\u2019s good tackle deep in Clare territory allowed Finn O\u2019Brien to get Cork\u2019s fourth goal and give breathing space again.<\/p>\n

Clare kept fighting \u2013 and Cork needed Ois\u00edn Walsh to deny Hegarty what would have been a levelling goal in injury time before Barry Walsh made sure of the win with a huge point from his own 45.<\/p>\n

Despite playing into what was a stiff easterly wind in the first half, Cork had a positive start as Johnny Murphy opened the scoring inside 12 seconds and James O\u2019Brien doubled the lead \u2013 in between, midfielder Ben Walsh had made a driving run goalwards but he was crowded out and Clare cleared.<\/p>\n

\"Cork'sCork’s Ben Walsh racing towards goal as Clare’s Matthew O’Halloran chases. Picture: Eddie O’Hare<\/p>\n

At the other end, Ronan Kilroy got Clare off the mark and then they had the lead \u2013 Michael Collins\u2019 delivery was superbly controlled by Paul Rodgers, who laid off for Thomas O\u2019Connor to deftly finish.<\/p>\n

Clare were in front for the remainder of the first half but, while they did forge into a four-point advantage on occasion, they could amass the kind of cushion that the strength of the breeze demanded.<\/p>\n

Cork had a boost when O\u2019Flynn goaled on 13 \u2013 doing well to force a turnover after Eoghan Gunning had blocked his first effort \u2013 and Conor Noonan was a hardworking presence as they contended well.<\/p>\n

A couple of O\u2019Brien frees in quick succession left them 1-9 to 1-8 behind and the same gap pertained at the break. <\/p>\n

There were plenty more ebbing and flowing to go.<\/p>\n

\n Scorers for Cork: Barry Walsh 1-5 (0-1 f), James O\u2019Brien 0-6 (0-5 f), Johnny Murphy 1-2, Barry O\u2019Flynn, F O\u2019Brien 1-0 each, Z Biggane 0-2, D Heavin, C Garde, Ben Walsh, C Noonan 0-1 each.<\/p>\n

\n Clare: F Hegarty 0-8 (0-5 f), T O\u2019Connor 2-2, M Collins, R Kilroy 0-4 each, R Hayes, D Costello, P Rodgers 0-1 each.<\/p>\n

\n CORK: O Walsh (Youghal); D Fitzgerald (Bride Rovers), M Barrett (Carrigtwohill), D Heavin (Russell Rovers); MT Brosnan (Glen Rovers), C Garde (Lisgoold), D O\u2019Leary (Ballincollig); Ben Walsh (Killeagh), C Noonan (Kanturk); Z Biggane (Charleville), Barry Walsh (Killeagh), James O\u2019Brien (Cloyne); Johnny Murphy (Dromina), B O\u2019Flynn (Sarsfields), F O\u2019Brien (Erin\u2019s Own).<\/p>\n

\n Subs: J Counihan (Watergrasshill) for Noonan (51-53), John Murphy (Mallow) for Biggane (55), Counihan for O\u2019Leary (57), C O\u2019Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh) for F O\u2019Brien (58), Jack O\u2019Brien (Douglas) for Brosnan (59).<\/p>\n

\n CLARE: M Sheedy; J Casey, R Loftus, E Gunning; J Moylan, M O\u2019Halloran, R Hayes; D Costello, G Ball; F Hegarty, M Collins, R Kilroy; S Boyce, T O\u2019Connor, P Rodgers.<\/p>\n

\n Subs: H Doherty for Boye (39), J Hegarty for Moylan (47), R Keane for Ball (49), M Cleary for Rodgers (54), S Arthur for Costello (60).<\/p>\n

\n Referee: K Guina (Limerick).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cork 4-19 Clare 2-21 A four-goal haul helped Cork to beat Clare in Wednesday\u2019s Fulfil Munster U20HC game…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1964,61,60,112],"class_list":["post-424071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-cork-gaa","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}