Cork opened their Munster hurling championship defence with an excellent 2-23 to 1-21 victory over Clare at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

A crowd of 24,490 watched this round-robin clash, which was finally settled by Seamus Harnedy's goal in the ninth minute of injury time.

Points from Tony Kelly and Colm Galvin had the visitors level going into twelve minutes of stoppage time (added on mostly due to a concussion suffered by Robbie O'Flynn) - 1-18 each - and Kelly then cancelled out a point from Cork substitute Dean Brosnan before Patrick Horgan (from his own 45), Harnedy and Conor Lehane pointed to make it a three-point game.

John Conlon pointed twice for Clare either side of one from Cork's Mark Ellis but Lehane's emphatic late, late major made sure that John Meyer's men opened their championship account with a fourth successive championship win over the 2013 All-Ireland champions.

The first half was nip and tuck, with the winners leading by the odd point from 21 at the break.

Conlon opened the scoring seconds after the throw in and further strikes from Galvin and Peter Duggan (free) had them three clear inside four minutes. Horgan's free got the Rebels up and running and the unerring No.15 equalised from a long-range free on seven minutes after a stunning 90-metre strike from Daniel Kearney handed the hosts their second score.

A soft Duggan free pushed the Banner back in front but Horgan's third and first from play left it at four each after eleven minutes. O'Flynn fired Cork ahead for the first time and a Horgan free was cancelled out by Conor McGrath before Donal Tuohy denied O'Flynn a Rebel County major.

Lehane swung over an excellent point on 20 minutes to make it 0-7 to 0-5 and the gap was still two following an exchange of great points between David Reidy and Bill Cooper. Another brace of composed Duggan frees made it eight apiece with seven minutes left before the break.

Horgan swung over a Cork free at the other end but Galvin replied; Cork led at the interval thanks to scores from midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon and  Harnedy, Duggan closing the first-half scoring from a free.

Shane O'Donnell and Ellis traded points upon the restart and Conlon's second had the Banner level again after 37 minutes. A Fitzgibbon brace made it 14-12 and O'Donnell hit back from an acute angle on 45 minutes before play was held up as O'Flynn was treated on the pitch and then stretchered from the field after sustaining a heavy blow to the head.

When the action resumed, the Leesiders pounced decisively as Lehane skilfully batted the sliothar one-handed to the net after substitute Shane Kingston nicked possession and the ever-alert Horgan kept the ball alive with a deft flick back into the goalmouth when it looked like it was surely going wide.

Horgan and Reidy exchanged points as the hosts remained four ahead with an hour played. Conlon pointed and Clare dramatically drew level when Kelly swept a groundstroke to the net in the 61^st minute but Cork refused to panic and struck back with a brace of points from Horgan - a free and a peach from play.

Reidy's soft free halved the deficit on 66 minutes and it remained in the melting pot until Harnedy's match-settling 79^th-minute major.

Cork - A Nash; S O'Donoghue, D Cahalane, C Spillane; M Ellis (0-2), C Joyce, M Coleman (0-1); D Fitzgibbon (0-3), B Cooper (0-1); S Harnedy (1-2), C Lehane (1-2), D Kearney; R O'Flynn (0-1), P Horgan (0-10, 6f), L Meade. Subs: S Kingston for L Meade, T O'Mahony for R O'Flynn, D Brosnan (0-1) for D Kearney.

Clare - D Tuohy; D McInerney, J Browne, S Morey; P O'Connor, C Cleary, D Fitzgerald; C Galvin (0-3), T Kelly (1-3, 0-1f); C Malone, P Duggan (0-4f), D Reidy (0-3, 2f); C McGrath (0-1), J Conlon (0-5), S O'Donnell (0-2). Subs: D Corry for P Duggan, M O'Malley for P O'Connor, I Galvin for D Reidy, J Shanahan for C Galvin.

Referee - S Cleere.

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