Camogie: Tipperary and Cork through to All-Ireland semi-finals

Tipperary and Cork are through to the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship semi-finals, after wins over Waterford and Clare respectively.

Tipperary 1-12 Waterford 0-10

A 42nd-minute goal by Karen Kennedy gave Tipperary the vital breathing place and ensured a place in the last four of the for the third consecutive season, with champions Galway lying in wait.

It was the third year in a row too that Waterford failed to get beyond this hurdle but they will have little cause for complaint, having not been able to go through the gears in the second half.

It was a far cagier affair than the opening quarter-final, with both teams withdrawing players even when playing with the gale into the Blackrock End.

That was undoubtedly a nod of respect to the attacking threats of both sides, though the irony of the situation was that they each carried more threat into the elements.

Fergal O'Brien and Dan Shanahan moved Beth Carton to the edge of the square just as the minimum of five minutes of injury time was announced and the De La Salle scoring machine had a rasping shot brilliantly saved by Minor goalkeeper Áine Slattery.

A goal wouldn't have been enough anyway as Tipp showed all their experience in the second half to impose their will.

It was a huge win for Bill Mullaney's crew, particularly as they were without the considerable services of suspended Aisling Moloney and former skipper Orla O'Dwyer, who departed for Australia to take up AFLW duties.

But with Waterford having excelled in the first half in terms of workrate and craft and gone in at the break trailing by just 0-8 to 0-6, it was their Munster neighbours who found the necessary improvement, upping their intensity considerably to maintain and then increase their advantage.

Tipp got off to a fantastic start with a point after 10 seconds from Niamh Treacy, followed by a point from Cáit Devane, who provided seven points of her side's tally.

But Waterford were showing plenty and it was notable that four of their forwards scored from play, Abby Flynn in particular looking very dangerous, well supported by Sarah Lacey, Carton and Niamh Rockett.

But they could not get into the game after the resumption, Tipp instead finding another level.

Devane launched a prodigious score from nearly 65m into the wind before Nicole Walsh and Rockett exchanged scores.

That had three between the sides when Kennedy, marking Carton throughout, somehow found herself in the opposition danger zone, and winning the race with Waterford goalkeeper Brianna O'Regan to force the sliotar home for a critical score.

Carton led the resistance but Walsh and Devane kept the scoreboard ticking over at the other end, and Aoife McGrath, Kennedy and Mary Ryan were among those in no mood to yield.

Scorers

Tipperary: C Devane 0-7(5fs); K Kennedy 1-0; N Walsh 0-2; N Treacy, M Campion, G O'Brien 0-1 each

Waterford: B Carton 0-5(2fs, 1 45); N Rockett, A Flynn 0-2 each; S Lacey 0-1

Teams

Tipperary: Á Slattery, C Quirke, M Ryan, E Loughman, M Eviston, K Kennedy, A McGrath, N Treacy, S Quirke, N Walsh, R Howard, C Devane, G O'Brien, M Campion, C McIntyre. Subs: E Fryday for S Quirke (ht), J Kelly for O'Brien (41), K Blair for Fryday inj (55), JA Burke for Ryan (60+6).

Waterford: B O'Regan, S Harney, I Heffernan, C White, L Bray, C Carroll, C McGrath, O Hickey, S Curran, A Flynn, B Carton, A Fitzgerald, K Lynch, S Lacey, N Rockett. Subs: A Landers for Fitzgerald (45), A Corcoran for Lacey (50), K Corbett Barry for Hickey (55), S Fitzgerald for Curran (55).

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Cork 3-15 Clare 0-8

Ignore the scoreline. It in absolutely no way provides any indication of the story of this quarter-final.

With nine minutes remaining, and Clare still trailing by just five points, inspirational centre-back Niamh O'Dea surged out of defence, drew the cover and found Eimear Kelly sprinting into space about 30m out.

The Truagh Clonlara attacker gathered and headed for goal, but a surreptitious tug on the blindside of referee Liz Dempsey held her up, forcing her to shoot under pressure rather than staring into the whites of Cork goalie Amy Lee's eyes.

Her mis-hit effort was cleared and within seconds, Amy O'Connor was pointing at the other end.

O'Connor blasted a brace of goals in the concluding stages and by the end it was a 16-point margin.

It was a surprise to many that Clare eschewed the use of any sweeper, which wasn't to say that their half-forwards did not drop deep without possession, but there was plenty ambition on show.

Perhaps most impressive was the composure, particularly working the ball out of defence, helped by having available bodies but more than that, by the obvious freedom of not feeling pressure as a result of achieving their primary ambition of reaching the knockout stages.

It is a credit to Ger O'Connell and his management colleagues too that they clearly didn't overload their charges with the metaphorical adrenaline shots, given how calmly they went about their business.

Cork opened the scoring through Linda Collins from their first attack but Clare quickly signalled their intent, as Chloe Morey used the goalpost-shaking wind to launch an equaliser from a different postcode, and Áine O'Loughlin picked Laura Treacy's pocket to give her side the lead with a deft finish over her right shoulder.

Katrina Mackey equalised and the sides would be level five times in total in that first half.

O'Dea and Clare Hehir were excellent for Clare, while Eimear Kelly was deadly accurate in snaffling two fine points, the second after a pass of stunningly soft and accurate execution by Morey.

Cork went in at half-time leading 0-7 to 0-6, late points from Saoirse McCarthy and Mackey - her third - putting two between them for the first time, but another whopper from Morey, right on the midfield line and tight to the right touchline, gave Clare the final say of the half.

Paudie Murray's charges got the perfect start to the second period when O'Connor set up Mackey for a goal within seconds of the resumption but Clare remained in contention, Morey (free) and O'Loughlin splitting the posts and Lee making a brilliant save with her body from Kelly.

It was Cork that finished the stronger though to advance to the semi-finals in a fortnight's time.

Scorers

Cork: A O'Connor 2-1; K Mackey 1-3; O Cronin 0-6(3fs); L Collins, S McCarthy, C Healy, H Looney, C Sigerson 0-1 each

Clare: C Morey 0-4(fs); E Kelly, A O'Loughlin 0-2 each

Teams

Cork: A Lee, L Coppinger, L Treacy, M Cahalane, H Looney, P Mackey, L Hayes, A Thompson, N O'Callaghan, C Sigerson, O Cronin, K Mackey, L Collins, S McCarthy, A O'Connor. Subs: C Healy for McCarthy (43), L Homan for O'Callaghan (45), I O'Regan for K Mackey (53), E Murphy for Coppinger (54), F Keating for Looney (60+1).

Clare: A Corbett, C Grogan, C Hehir, C Doyle, R McMahon, N O'Dea, A Ryan, S Vaughan, O Duggan, L McMahon, E Kelly, M McGrath, C Morey, A O'Loughlin, M Scanlon. Subs: R Conway for Scanlon (36), S Conlon for Vaughan (43), G Hickey for McMahon (49), A Power for McGrath (56), M Caulfield for Duggan (57).