Cork ensured that there would be no repeat of their shock defeat by Clare in this year's championship when they boosted their lead from two points to five in the exciting closing stages of this errorprone game at Pairc Ui Rinn.

A stunning injury-time goal by Clare's Martin Daly had knocked Cork out of the championship, but this time there was to be no repeat. Cork manager Larry Tompkins smiled when reminded of the similarity of his team's lead with four minutes to go and that which had obtained when Clare snatched it in the championship.

"We didn't panic and played constructive football in what rounded off a good team performance," he said. "Everybody worked hard. Our teamwork was the big difference at the end of the day." Clare selector Michael McDermott saw it as "a game we should have won. Unforced errors proved our downfall." His summing up could be construed as a little arrogant, although Pat Mackey's save of a Martin Daly piledriver early in the second half was a defining moment.

A goal at that stage, as Clare played against the wind, would have given the visitors a 1-5 to 0-6 lead and might well have changed the whole tenor of the match. It was to Clare's credit that they did not allow Cork out of their clutches until the last few minutes when Cork's superiority eventually became manifest with scores that should have been flowing for them much earlier.

The dominance of Cork midfielders Pat Hegarty and the 6 foot 5 inch Nicholas Murphy, particularly, in the first half, was not fully capitalised upon.

Tom Morrissey improved matters for Clare when moving to midfield from full forward at the end of the first quarter, but the Cork duo were generally in control. Clare's midfield challenge had taken a knock when Peter Cosgrove had to retire injured after only 12 minutes.

The winners had plenty of opportunities. But, despite the inspirational play of corner back Ronan McCarthy and the influence asserted by half-backs Brian Corcoran, Niall Cahalane and Martin Cronin, Clare managed to carve openings - without their forwards giving the impression that they were truly on form.

Morrissey sent shivers up the spine of that Cork cover when just off the mark at a near post and Daly shot over the bar when a goal was on. But Cork, against the wind, were in wasteful mood.

A good indication of the first half trend was the fact that Cork had seven really unforgivable wides and were guilty of a lot of messing in front of goal in the first half. Clare shot five wides in that first half, the worst by Francis McInerney and substitute Peadar McMahon. Wing back and captain Barry Keating showed real Clare spirit 16 minutes into the second half when emulating Cork defenders Corcoran and Cronin by getting forward for a point which left only one point between the sides. Given Cork's greater share of possession, however, John O'Keeffe's men were fortunate enough to be on level terms, 0-4 apiece, at the end of quite an abysmal first half hour's play.

The opening two minutes of the second half did nothing to allay Clare's fears, with points from Ciaran O'Sullivan and Stephen Dineen rapidly establishing a twopoint advantage for Cork. O'Sullivan, playing at centre forward, made a promising return by scoring four points and taking up some astute positions. For the second half, the Cork halfback line was reshuffled, with Corcoran moving to the centre and Cahalane, who can be really pleased with his industrious performance, moving out to the left.

For Clare, Martin Daly moved in to full forward, partly in the hope that his undoubted aptitude for the opportunistic goal would bear fruit. It nearly did, but Mackey was equal to the task, and Steven O'Brien often proved an alert attack-conscious full back.

At the other end, Cork's Joe Kavanagh seemed threatening, as were Conor Crowley and Stephen Dineen. But, apart from producing that late flurry, the Cork attack were contained too often for their own comfort. Still, seven of Cork's nine second-half points came from play.

Clare's four second-half points may have kept them in touch, but it was a performance they will wish to get out of their system, along with their defeat by Louth in the All-Ireland B final a week before. Tompkins, despite his analysis, will look for vast improvements in his team's performance for their next trip, to Newry.