THE NIRE IN CRUISE CONTROL

THE NIRE cruised into the Munster club semi-finals with a comfortable win over Limerick champions Adare at the Gaelic Grounds yesterday. The Waterford side set their stall out from early on and recorded three points without response as Dylan Guiry, Conor Gleeson and Tholom Guiry slotted over the bar against a lacklustre Adare side. Moments later, Stephen Keely got Adare’s opening point before Hugh Bourke failed to take full advantage of a misplaced kick-out, hitting the post. With 20 minutes gone, Adare’s woes continued as Robbie Bourke put a wellplaced free wide of the post before The Nire punished their struggling opponents to score at the other end. The visiting Waterford team continued to up the tempo and got another three points without reply as Dylan Guiry added to two Shane Ryan frees. On the verge of half-time, The Nire put the game beyond any doubt as Tom Barron eased through a tiring Adare defence to find the back of the net, putting nine points between the two teams at the interval. The second half proved no better for the Limerick representatives as their Waterford counterparts, in complete control, strolled to a 1-13 to 0-5 lead midway through the half. David Connolly should have provided a glimmer of hope for his Adare teammates, however the battling fullback’s effort was well saved by the in-form Diarmuid Murphy. The Nire added a further five points as Adare brought their overall tally to just 12 points on a disappointing night for the West Limerick youngsters. The Nire will take on St Joseph’s Miltown-Malbay of Clare in the semi-finals next Sunday.