Holders Tipperary are through to another All-Ireland semi-final after beating Clare by 0-28 to 3-16 at sunny Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

With 28,567 in attendance, Clare finished strongest and reeled off six successive points to close within the minimum with five minutes left but a run of points from John O'Dwyer (free), Brendan Maher (free), Man of the Match John McGrath and substitutes Steven O'Brien and Jason Forde ultimately saw Michael Ryan's side through to a last-four meeting with either Munster champions Cork or Leinster kingpins Galway next month, while the Banner County exited the competition, ruing 18 wides.

In the final analysis, Tipp's calmness in front of the posts was the difference between these two teams. The winners slotted 21 points from play, Clare just seven (and three goals...).

Last year's champions will be sweating over the fitness of their talismanic attacker Seamus Callanan, who left the fray late on with what looked like an arm or wrist injury.

Having played into the wind, Tipperary led by 0-16 to 2-5 at half time, with Clare left counting the cost of ten poor first-half wides and some ill-advised puck-outs, the combination of which practically handed their opponents a string of free scores. Tipp's last four points before the break all accrued from wayward Andrew Fahy distribution and the Premier County would have been completely out of sight but for two quickfire Aaron Cunningham goals in the 19^th and 20^th minutes. (Shane O'Donnell bagged the third deep into injury time at the end of the second half.)

Conor McGrath planted the sliothar low to the back of the Tipperary net in the ninth minute but the whistle had long since sounded for a free-out as the Clare corner forward had taken a dozen steps before getting his shot off. At the other end, O'Dwyer became the fourth Tipp attacker to register as the defending All-Ireland champions assumed a 0-5 to 0-2 lead with ten minutes on the clock.

Seamus Callanan's second and third points (both frees) stretched the gap to five and the winners followed up with another point from Noel McGrath - who scooped over after Patrick 'Bonner' Maher ran purposefully at the heart of the Clare defence. And Callanan's classy score from the left wing ensured Tipp of a six-point cushion at the midway stage in the first half, 0-9 to 0-3, with Tony Kelly having popped over a difficult free for the Banner.

Incredibly, Cunningham's sensational brace of goals in the space of a minute had Clare level with 20 on the clock - 2-3 to 0-9. First, the full forward took a pass from Conor McGrath to slam the sliothar past Darragh Mooney; then he was played through by the high-fielding O'Donnell and rounded Mooney to finish to an empty net. Great scores but the Tipp full-back line was found badly wanting for both…

Kelly and Noel McGrath shared the opening two scores of the afternoon before O'Donnell cancelled out John McGrath's effort. In the sixth minute, Callanan gave the Premier the lead again and Noel McGrath made it 0-4 to 0-2.

Following Cunnngham's double-whammy, midfielder Michael Breen restored Tipp's advantage on 25 minutes and they followed up with scores from 'Bonner' Maher and Callanan (free) as Clare were punished for some very wayward shooting from decent positions.

Wing back Jamie Shanahan smashed over an inspirational Banner point from distance and Conor McGrath followed up with a delightful point on the run to reduce the arrears to the minimum before a stray Fahy puck-out gifted Callanan the 13^th Tipp point and his sixth. Further scores from wing back Seamus Kennedy, O'Dwyer and John McGrath - all culminating from bad Fahy restarts - left five between the teams at the short whistle.

Kelly added to Clare's wides tally from a free at the start of the second half but O'Donnell showed him the way with a nice score from play, only for O'Dwyer to reply following poor Banner defending. Callanan blazed a goal effort over the bar from close range after a lightning Tipp counter attack and a brace of Kelly frees had the Banner back within four with 24 minutes left, 0-18 to 2-8.

Kelly's next successful free cancelled out a John McGrath point and a trademark, economical Noel McGrath effort had Tipp five ahead once more with 49 minutes played. Clare needed scores to get back into contention but instead they had more wides from Kelly (free) and substitute Peter Duggan before John and Noel McGrath grabbed a point apiece to leave seven in it with 17 minutes remaining, 0-22 to 2-9.

Bonner Maher struck out a free from substitute David Reidy and the gap was pared down to five points with eleven minutes left after Clare scores from Kelly and the impressive Duggan. But, for every Clare score, they also seemed to tag on another wide. With an hour played, they had scored 15 times and registered as many wides, Colm Galvin contributing their 13^th point - 2-13 to 0-23.

Reidy clipped over a Clare free following a foul on Duggan and fellow sub Cathal McInerney posted an excellent point instantly to leave just two between the teams with seven minutes to go! With Tipp hanging on desperately, Cunningham's groundstroke from a nigh-on-impossible angle rolled into the side-netting but Conor McGrath thumped over his side's sixth successive point as they closed within one with five minutes of normal time left…

Dan McCormack and Forde struck Tipp wides either side of that McGrath point but O'Dwyer's tap-over free doubled the difference in the 68^th minute after the injured Callanan was tugged back. A tremendous long-range Brendan Maher free from inside his own half on the stroke of 70 minutes teased the Tipp lead back out to three and John McGrath added the insurance point - his sixth - in the first of four added minutes before sub O'Brien added to the winning tally in the 72^nd minute.

Forde's brilliant point was the final dagger into Clare's hearts and the superb O'Donnell toe-poked the ball to the back of the Tipp net from close range in the fifth minute of injury time as the Banner bagged a late, late consolation goal. But Tipp have won their sixth All-Ireland quarter-final and will be in action again next month.

Tipperary - D Mooney; J Barry, T Hamill, D Maher; S Kennedy (0-1), R Maher, Padraic Maher; B Maher (0-1, 1f), M Breen (0-1); N McGrath (0-3), Patrick Maher (0-2), D McCormack; J McGrath (0-6), S Callanan (0-7, 3f), J O'Dwyer (0-5, 1f). Subs - Sean O'Brien (0-1) for Barry, J Forde (0-1) for Breen, N O'Meara for O'Dwyer, Steven O'Brien for Callanan.

Clare - A Fahey; C Dillon, P O'Connor, S Morey; D Fitzgerald, C Cleary, J Shanahan (0-1); C Galvin (0-1), T Kelly (0-6, 4f); C Malone, P Collins, J Conlon; C McGrath (0-2), A Cunningham (2-0), S O'Donnell (1-2). Sub - P Duggan (0-1) for Conlon, D Reidy (0-2, 2f) for Collins, C McInerney (0-1) for Malone, J McCarthy for Kelly.

Ref - C Lyons (Cork).

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