Limerick came late but Clare held on at Ennis to clinch another semi-final meeting with Kerry - 1-13 to 1-12.

Colm Collins' charges were the frontrunners all the way but substitute Josh Ryan's injury-time goal threatened to spoil their day and Sean McSweeney almost levelled right at the death. But Clare held on to secure a date with the Kingdom in two weeks.

Eoin Cleary's tenth-minute goal - a routine finish after he'd rounded Donal O'Sullivan - had the winners five points clear, 1-3 to 0-1, but the visitors replied with points from Danny Neville - who was sent off five minutes into added time - and Ger Collins.

Both goalkeepers were called into action during the course of a first half that finished with the hosts ahead by 1-8 to 0-6.

David Tubridy finished the day with 0-4 for the winners, while Cleary bagged 1-4 and Keelan Sexton chipped in with 0-3. They were rocking at the end as Limerick came with a late surge but the Banner County just about did enough to earn a third championship clash with Kerry inside twelve months.

Clare - Joe Hayes; G Kelly, K Harnett, M McMahon; P Lillis (0-1), D Ryan, John Hayes; G Brennan, S Brennan; C O'Connor, S Collins (0-1), J Malone; K Sexton (0-3, 1f), E Cleary (1-4, 0-2f), D Tubridy (0-4, 2f). Subs: L Markham for C O'Connor, G O'Brien for S Collins, S Malone for D Tubridy, D Nagle for K Harnett.

Limerick - D O'Sullivan; D Daly, J McCarthy, S O'Dea (0-1); P White, B Fanning, G Noonan; D Tracey (0-1), D Ward; P Nash, J Naughton (0-1), I Corbett (0-1); S O'Carroll (0-3, 1sl), D Neville (0-2), G Collins (0-2, 1f). Subs: J Ryan (1-1) for D Ward, S McSweeney for P Nash, J Lee for J Naughton, T McCarthy for D Daly, P Scanlon for G Collins, P Quinn for S O'Carroll.

Referee - C Reilly.

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