Munster SFC First round: Limerick 2-5, Clare 0-8 This was about as far removed from the iconography of championship football as it gets. 1,254 people huddled together under the darkened Mackey Stand to watch the lesser lights of the Munster competition dog it out in conditions that made the decision to persevere with the game highly questionable.

Limerick survived but they will have to improve significantly if they are to seriously trouble Cork in the Munster semi-final.

In general, this was not a match that advertised the good health of the Munster competition and it was hard not to feel sympathy for the plight of two evidently honest and committed counties locked into a system that has done little to reward their efforts over the last century.

In the years that Kerry are not quite good enough to keep ownership of the provincial trophy, Cork almost invariably snap it up. These two counties have toiled and raged against that domination with only the fleeting success of the rugged Clare team of 1992 to give them true encouragement.

Yesterday's match left the impression of a game only notionally linked to the fare that will bring tens of thousands to Croke Park next July and August, when the heavyweights of the game roll into town. If players in grassroots football counties like Limerick and Clare ever begin to question whether days like this are worth it, then the superstructure of the GAA will become dramatically unstuck.

Clare were palpably "up" for this match and a little bit more composure and know-how would have been enough to dump Limerick out. They owned the football, piling pressure on Limerick in the first half and pushing for scores in the last 10 minutes.

In David Russell, they had the outstanding player on the field and at times they played some fine approach football in the horrendously wet and borderline dangerous conditions.

Their half forward line, made up exclusively of the Russells from Kilkee and lively centre half forward Michael O'Shea, was completely dominant.

However, although Michael O'Dwyer started brightly for Clare and the highly regarded Enda Coughlan was an increasing influence, their failure to wring a couple of more points from their attack cost them.

"You don't always get what you deserve," said a dismayed Michael Brennan afterwards. Clare's joint manager said: "That was the first time we played for 70 minutes. And it was incredibly difficult out there with the wind, you had to be in an exceptionally good position to land a score. Limerick's goals cost us, they got six points out of two kicks and that was hard for us to make up."

Alarm bells were ringing all over the pitch for Limerick from an early stage but they had the experience and craftsmanship not to panic and to make what little possession they had matter.

They could but watch as Clare ran up three fine points in the first seven minutes, David Russell already demonstrating his kicking range during that period.

But the heavy rain and drenched field ruled against this being anything other than a day of hard tackling and spilled ball and the scores soon thinned out.

Limerick, though, got those that mattered. On 16 minutes, Michael Crowley got his fist to a deflected shot from Michael Reidy to register their first score. Their second goal also came out of the blue, with the classy John Galvin reacting sharply to a breaking ball and using his athleticism to sprint unchallenged before firing a fine shot past Dermot O'Brien. That goal put Limerick 2-2 to 0-4 up after 30 minutes and although they landed just three more points, it was enough.

"Clare kicked it away," admitted Limerick manager Mickey Ned O'Sullivan. "The conditions suited Clare and we are just very relieved to have come through it. In terms of the goals, our game plan was to suck them in and try and hit them with a fast break and thankfully that came off or we would have been in serious trouble."

It was a day for old hands. Damien Reidy had a busy day, lining out at half forward but dropping into his old home at halfback to spoil Clare's attacking play and set Limerick on their way.

Galvin also dropped back to cover the full-back line and on a day when the victors were starved of scoring opportunities, the last point from substitute John Cooke was very important.

O'Sullivan smiled as he predicted that Cork would not be too worried by what they had witnessed here. But in the same breath he said he hoped that Stephen Kelly, Eoin Keating and Muiris Gavin would be fully fit for that encounter.

Informed that his native county, All-Ireland favourites Kerry, were being pushed all the way against Waterford, O'Sullivan gave a small smile and threw his eyes to heaven.

"Sin scéal eile," he laughed.

It was probably a small bit of comfort on the day that was in it.

LIMERICK: S Kiely; S Gallagher, J McCarthy, P Browne; C Mullane, S Lavin, A Lane; J Stokes, J Galvin (1-0); P Ahern, D Reidy, S Buckley (0-1); M Crowley (1-0), J Murphy (0-2, one free), M Reidy (0-1). Subs: J Cooke (0-1) for Ahern (56 mins); E Keating for Murphy, D Horan for Reidy (both 65 mins).

CLARE: D O'Brien; P Gallagher, C Whelan, D Kelly; D Blake, B Considine, N Considine (0-1); G Quinlan (0-1), P O'Dwyer; D Russell (0-3), M O'Shea (0-1 free), D Russell (0-2, one free); M O'Dwyer, E Coughlan, D Hedigan. Subs: R Slattery for Hedigan (31 mins); S Hickey for M O'Dwyer (52 mins); P Ranahan for Blake (57 mins); F O'Dea for P O'Dwyer (58 mins); O O'Dwyer for Gallagher (67 mins).

Referee: T Quigley (Dublin).