Kerry end losing streak as they beat Tipperary in Tralee

Kerry 0-11 Tipperary 1-7

Fourteen-man Kerry somehow chiselled out their first win at under-21 level since March 2012 when they showed tremendous battling qualities and composure on the ball to beat a very defensive-minded Tipperary side in the Munster Under-21 football quarter-final played before 2,636 spectators at Austin Stack Park in Tralee.

It was a game where Jack O'Connor's side looked to be in big trouble at half-time as they were down to 14 men and had to face a stiff wind in the second half, but somehow they fashioned out a win thanks to an outstanding defence, where Brian O'Beaglaoich, Cathal O'Luing, Andrew Barry and Gavin White excelled.

However, it was the introduction of Barry O’Sullivan to midfield for the second half that changed the course of the game in Kerry’s favour as his high fielding and all-round strong play had Tipperary on the back foot for most of the second half.

The sides were level at half-time on 0-6 to 1-3 with Jack Savage kicking four points for Kerry and Michael Burns and Tommy Burns getting a point each as Tipperary, with 12 players behind the ball throughout the half, grateful for Liam Casey's 14th-minute goal for keeping them in the contest.

Kerry lost midfielder Matthew O’Sullivan to a yellow and black card in the 22nd minute but they buckled down in the second half with the introduction of Barry O’Sullivan. With the sides still deadlocked in the 50th minute they moved three clear thanks to points from Barry O’Sullivan, Savage and Burns and despite two late points from Tipperary Kerry held out for an unlikely win.

KERRY: E O'Brien; B O Beaglaoich, C O Luing, T O'Sullivan; B Sugrue, A Barry, G White; M O'Sullivan, G Horan; B Barrett, M Burns (0-2), B O Seanachain; T Brosnan (0-1), E O Conchuir, J Savage J Savage (0-7, six frees) .

Subs: B O'Sullivan (0-1) for G Horan, C Spillane for E O Conchuir (both H/T), D Roche for T Brosnan (40 mins), D Foran for B Barrett (42 mins), D O'Donoghue for B Sugrue ( 58 mins).

TIPPERARY: J McDonald; C O'Shaughnessy, J Feehan, D Owens; R Mulcahy (0-1), K Fahy, S O'Connell; P Shanahan, L Casey (1-1); E Moloney, J Kennedy (0-2), J Keane (0-2, two frees): P Maher, S Quirke (0-1), T Nolan.

Subs: L Boland for P Shanahan (53 mins), B Martin for T Nolan (57 mins),

Referee: K Murphy ( Cork).

Clare 0-8 Cork 0-23

Cork ran out easy winners in their quarter-final against Clare at Cooraclare last night. Having established a five-point lead at half-time, the visitores kicked on in the second period and finally ran out 15-point victors.

Clare senior player Keelan Sexton got the night’s opening score with a left-footed point but this white flag was matched almost immediately when Cork’s Seán O’Donoghue converted a 20-metre free to level matters.

Brian Coakley gave the visitors the lead after five minutes with another free before Sexton and O’Donoghue exchanged scores once more.

Cork then hit five points without reply to open up a scoring gap that was never relinquished.

Clare trailed by 0-10 to 0-5 at the break and faced an uphill battle. After the re-start they managed another score through Jack O’Dea but it was as close as they got to a rampant Cork outfit.

By the 39th minute, the scoreboard read 0-13 to 0-7 and from there on in, the outcome was never in doubt. Nine more unanswered scores came their way before Sexton and sub Stephen Sherlock exchanged points in injury time.

CORK: A Casey; D Quinn, J Mullins, M McSweeney (0-1); K Flahive, S Cronin (Capt.), K Histon; S White, R O'Toole (0-1); D O'Driscoll (0-1), S O'Donoghue (0-6, three frees), R Harkin (0-1); B Coakley (0-5, four frees), P Kelleher (0-2), M Hurley (0-2).

Subs: E Lavers for Histon (45 mins), M Dineen (0-1) for O'Donoghue (49 mins), S O'Leary for O'Driscoll (54 mins), S Sherlock (0-3, one free) for Hurley (55 mins), C Kiely for McSweeney (58 mins), K Cremin for Cronin (59 mins).

CLARE: K Roche; C O'Halloran, D Nagle, N Lynch; P Lillis, J O'Dea (0-1), C O'Dea (0-1); D Walsh, L Tierney; K Malone, C Brennan (0-2, one free), C Ó Hainiféin; S O'Donoghue, K Sexton (0-4, three frees), D Egan.

Subs: T Lynch for Walsh (h/t), M Duffy for Egan (h/t), E O'Connor for O'Donoghue (52 mins), E Tubridy for Malone (56 mins).

Referee: S Lonergan (Tipperary).

Laois 0-20 Wicklow 3-9

Laois and Wicklow produced a thrilling Leinster Under-21 quarter-final at O’Moore Park with Laois earning a semi-final meeting with Dublin on Saturday week.

Full forward Mark Lennon poked home a soft goal after nine minutes as Wicklow took a four-point lead and when danger man Gary Allen finished a great move in the 25th minute the visitors were in command. Allen brought his half-time total to 1-5 and Laois trailed by five

The second half saw Laois produce some great football and two points by midfielder Nigel Murphy saw the home team take the lead and although the visitors got an injury-time goal Laois had done enough to qualify.

LAOIS: A Cooney; L Knowles, A Campion, E Buggy; T Collins, R Dowling, D O'Reilly; B Daly, N Murphy (0-2); M Keogh (0-1), T Shiels (0-3) , A Carroll; C Murphy, E Lowry (0-1), S Moore (0-8).

Subs: E Keane (0-1) for E Lowry (47 mins), D Doyle for M Keogh (50 mins), E O'Carroll (0-3) for C Murphy (47 mins) C Callally for A Campion (51 mins), C Hogan (0-1) for A Carroll (31 mins), P O'Sullivan for E Buggy (58 mins).

WICKLOW: I Murphy; E Kelly, C McGorman, E Marsh; C Healy, E Murtagh, M Cullen; D Boothman, S McGraynor (0-1) ; J Callaghan, P O'Connor, C Magee; G Allen (1-6), M Lennon (1-1), M O'Connor

Subs: T Donohue for S McGraynor (47 mins), R Mannion (1-1) for G Allen (bc, 49 mins), P Murtagh for M O'Connor (58 mins).

Referee: Chris Dwyer (Offaly).