PICTURES: Limerick take on Clare in Munster Hurling League clash in Tulla

TAKING to the field with a more experimental line-up than their opponents, Limerick struggled at times to find their shape early on and, despite the extra intensity they got from a number of half-time changes, six second half wides and goals conceded just when they looked like taking off, they never led by more than two points which just wasn't enough to survive the Banner's last gasp reply.

READ MORE: Limerick senior hurlers edged out by Clare in exciting Munster Hurling League clash

Limerick play their second group fixture on Wednesday evening when hosting All-Ireland finalists Cork at the TUS Gaelic Grounds, 7.35pm.

An all-action opening to the derby clash yielded breeze-assisted Clare scores for Mark Rodgers and Ryan Taylor inside a minute before Aidan O'Connor settled Limerick with a free.

Monaleen's Darragh Langan's then equalised for Limerick but this was cancelled out by a further Ckare score from Jack Kirwan.

The visitors moved into the lead when another O'Connor pointed free was followed by Tom Morrissey collecting off the puckout to split the posts. The hectic pace continued to make it 11 scores inside just eight minutes as Rodgers and Kirwan put the hosts back ahead where they returned after Shane Meehan replied to Dylan O'Shea's score from distance.

An injury stoppage gave both sides a chance to draw breath before Donnacha Ó Dálaigh equalised from a tight angle.

However, Clare, who by this stage had racked up five wides against none from their opponents, stole a march when Rodgers skipped down the left and his pass across the square was buried into the net by Meehan.

However, as the clock moved past the quarter mark, Ó Dálaigh tied the game up again when stole in behind the defence to pounce on a loose ball, race towads the goals and rattle the equalising goal under the advancing Mark Sheedy.

O'Shea's follow-up point had his side leading again, but Clare's response was to tighten up their shooting, attack from their presence in the middle and rattle off points from Rodgers's free, Keith Smyth, David Fitzgerald, Rodgers again and Jack O'Neill.

Indeed their four point lead could have been greater had Rodgers not rattled off the butt of the near upright after racing past a challenge. Coming up to the half-time break, O'Connor, John English and Ó Dálaigh struck back for the visitors before Rodgers' pointed free ended the half with Clare leading 1-12 to 1-10.

The introduction of Adam English and Shane O'Brien for Limerick had an immediate effect as Ó Dálaigh collected off John English's sprint down the left to blast home his second goal within seconds of the restart.

However, the lead lasted less than a minute as Rodgers converted a free and Kirwan then split the defence by racing half the length of the field to bat over Colin Ryan and into the net for a Clare goal.

O'Neill then added a point but, after Tom Morrissey's point was met by a Rodgers' pointed free, Limerick were back in business again when Adam English raced down the left and passed across the face of the square to his namesake John who picked his spot in the near corner.

Unfortunately, play was then held up for over ten minutes after Kirwan was involved in an accidental collision and had to be removed from the field but, when action resumed, O'Connor's pointed free had the visitors level again before Rodgers replied twice in kind to restore his side's advantage.

There the gap stayed as Matthew Fitzgerald point was cancelled out by Peter Duggan's score from a sideline cut, and O'Connor and Rodgers swapped frees.

Limerick then ended a run of wides with an O'Connor pointed free followed by Shane O'Brien's equaliser and with Peter Casey sending the resulting equaliser back over the crossbar, before O'Connor tacking on his sixth free.

But just as they looked like moving on to victory, Rodgers replied off a free before Fitzgerald sliced right through the heart of their defence and, when Colm O'Meara was pulled down after taking his lay-off, Rodgers made no mistake with the match-winning penalty.