Mayo maintained their unbeaten run in the National Football League with a win that was far more convincing than the scoreline suggests at blustery but dry McHale Park, Castlebar, yesterday.

Mayo had built up a 12-point lead, with just 10 minutes remaining, and it was really only in that period, and for a while in the first half, that Clare made any impression, their defence struggling to keep tabs on a sharper Mayo attack. The razor sharp forwardline produced some fine scores from Michael Moyles and Stephen Carolan who, between them, accounted for 2-8 of the winner's total while Maurice Sheridan rediscovered his old free-taking form.

After a scrappy opening half, Mayo always looked in control, and any fear of a five-point interval lead, 1-7 to 0-5, coming under pressure in the second half, was dispelled by a magnificent goal from Crossmolina's Michael Moyles in the 53rd minute.

Stephen Carolan, who crashed Mayo's opening goal to the net when he took a long delivery from Sheridan in the fifth minute, turned provider when his cross found Moyles, who had been drafted in after 24 minutes for the injured David Nestor.

Although Des Molohan had an early second-half point for Clare, it was Mayo who were in total control, their backs contesting every ball with vigour, while Moyles and Carolan both hit some good points to open up an eight-point gap before the second goal really killed the game as a contest.

Clare's reward for dogged persistence in a game that was untidy all through was a very late goal from Denis Russell, whose low ground shot managed to evade at least four Mayo defenders before nestling in the corner of the net. A first half of mediocre quality was illuminated by some fine freetaking by Sheridan who included two 45s in his total of 0-5 for the game.

MAYO: P Burke, R Connelly, K Cahill, P Coyne, G Ruane, A Roche, A Higgins, M Coleman, C McMamamon, D Nestor, D McDonagh (0-1), J Gill (0-2), T Mortimer (0-1), S Carolan (1-3), M Sheridan (0-5) Subs: M Moyles (1-2) for Nestor, D Brady for Coleman, BJ Padden for Gill, R Loftus for McMamamon.

CLARE: J Hanrahan, C Whelan, B Considine, P Smyth, P Gallagher, J Considine B Keating, G Quinlan (0-1), D Russell (1-1), G Keane (0-1), D Russell (0-3), P McMahon, M O'Shea (0-1), D Molohon (0-2), D O'Driscoll Subs: M Daly for O'Shea, P Hehir for O'Driscoll, E McGuane for McMahon

Referee: M Hughes (Tyrone).