Clare are up and running in the 2018 Munster senor hurling championship after defeating 14-man Waterford by 2-27 to 2-18 in Ennis.

The Banner County lost their opening round-robin assignment against Cork last weekend, while today's game marked Waterford's first championship appearance of the year.

With 13,736 in attendance, Peter Duggan top-scored for the winners, with 1-10 from placed balls, while the outstanding John Conlon plundered 1-3 from open play. Maurice Shanahan (1-6) and Tommy Ryan (1-1) were the visitors' goalscorers.

The hosts led by 2-11 to 1-9 at the break, Shanahan netting for the losers in the ninth minute to make it double scores, 1-3 to 0-3. Derek McGrath's charges were four ahead when they lost sweeper Tadhg de Burca to injury and Clare pounced for their first goal almost immediately as Duggan netted a penalty. Conlon supplied their second three-pointer twelve minutes from the short whistle.

Ryan hit Waterford's second goal seven minutes after the restart, after Kelly (2) and Conlon reeled off the first three scores of the second half, but the dismissal of Kevin Moran with a straight red card on 48 minutes left the 2017 All-Ireland finalists with a mountain to climb.

Between the 50^th and 60^th minutes, the Banner fired over seven points (five for Duggan, two for Conlon) to power into an unassailable eleven-point lead. They were never going to let it slip from there.

Clare - D Tuohy; P O'Connor, D McInerney, J Browne; D Fitzgerald (0-1), C Cleary, J Shanahan (0-2); C Galvin (0-2), C Malone; P Duggan (1-10, 1-0pen, 0-9f, 0-1'65), T Kelly (0-6), D Reidy (0-1); J Conlon (1-3), S O'Donnell (0-1), C McGrath (0-1). Subs: P Collins for C McGrath, S Morey for C Malone, N Deasy for D Reidy, M O'Neill for S O'Donnell, D Corry for J Conlon.

Waterford - S O'Keeffe; N Connors, B Coughlan, S Fives; D Fives, T de Burca (0-1), Philip Mahony (0-1); C Gleeson (0-1), J Barron (0-1); K Moran (0-1), M Shanahan (1-6, 0-6f), M Walsh; J Dillon (0-2), T Devine (0-1), S McNulty. Subs: C Roche for T de Burca, Stephen Bennett (0-2) for N Connors, DJ Foran (0-1) for M Walsh, T Ryan (1-1) for D Fives, I Kenny for B Coughlan.

Referee - P O'Dwyer.

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