Cork 3-28
Limerick 3-26
CORK ARE STILL alive in the Munster hurling championship.
They had to squeeze out every vitamin to avoid another early exit from the round-robin, and they delivered in front of a roaring crowd of 41,670 in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Darragh Fitzgibbon’s haul of five points just one of the myriad highlights they’ll take from tonight.
Another heroic defeat looked imminent after Séamus Flanagan scored three goals to give Limerick the initiative, but Cork produced a late surge in the final minutes. Pat Horgan scored a penalty, and Brian Hayes scored the final point of the night before the pitch ran red with inspired Cork fans.
Cork showed their bite with an early goal through Séamus Harnedy after gathering a pass from Shane Barrett to cancel out Limerick’s opening points through Aaron Gillane and Gearóid Hegarty. Gillane settled things with a free but by 12 minutes, Cork were 1-8 to 0-3 ahead as Harnedy, Horgan and Fitzgibbon all raised white flags.
Declan Dalton scored the first of two long range frees in a sequence where both teams contributed to eight accurate shots at the posts. The first wide of the game was a long range free from Diarmaid Byrnes. His typical accuracy from that distance failed him twice in the first period.
Harnedy was proving to be an effective target for Cork puckouts while Brian Hayes broke through for a goal opportunity which was helped over the bar by the stick of Nickie Quaid. Meanwhile, Seán O’Donoghue was keeping a tight surveillance on Gillane, keeping him scoreless in the first half. It ended up being one of those rare nights where he failed to score from play throughout.
The wobbles that affected them against Clare were emerging again in Limerick’s play but points from Tom Morrissey and David Reidy brought them back to within seven after 19 minutes before a quickfire 1-1 from Séamus Flanagan cut the gap to three points. But Cork replied through a brilliant Shane Barrett goal after Harnedy fetched a puckout from Patrick Collins.
Cork were humming at this point but Limerick issued a reminder of their status as champions as Horgan and Dalton traded points with Gillane and Morrissey to bring a hectic first half to a close.
There were scraps. There were breaks for injuries, but Cork were showing strong signs of life with a 2-15 to 1-10 lead.
Lynch and Gillane had the first say of the second half with a point each before Fitzgibbon got Cork’s scoreboard rolling again with his third point. Cathal O’Neill launched an inspirational score from distance to put four between them, and a familiar scent of a Limerick second-half surge was in the air.
A second O’Neill point followed while Alan Connolly also got his name on the scoresheet, moments after winning a free from a potential goal-scoring opportunity. A pass across the penalty area was just too high, and he was surrounded by the time he got the ball back under control.
A defensive error created the opening for Flanagan’s second goal, and his third just before the hour-mark was assisted by Hegarty and helped complete a superb 10-point swing. A third point from O’Neill added to that reversal, and now Cork were chasing. They were on the brink of a second consecutive exit from the round-robin.
Byrnes was back in the green again with his free-taking. He struck two in the second half as substitute Shane Kingston and Connolly split the posts to keep Cork on the hunt in the final five minutes.
They were two points down when Brian Hayes put Connolly for a goal chance, but he failed to pull on the ball and the ball trickled out over the endline.
And then came the final flourish to fire Cork over the line. Kingston sprinted through the Limerick defence and was hauled down for a free, but referee Séan Stack deemed it to be a goal-scoring opportunity and upgraded it to a penalty.
Horgan converted and Hayes swung over his second point of the night right at the death. The final whistle brought the Cork supporters pouring onto the field. Pat Ryan’s side live on.
Cork scorers: Patrick Horgan [1-11, 10f, 1pen], Séamus Harnedy, Shane Barrett [1-2 each] [1-2] Darragh Fitzgibbon [0-5], Declan Dalton [0-2,2f], Brian Hayes, Alan Connolly [0-2 each], Shane Kingston, Ethan Twomey [0-1 each]
Limerick scorers: Aaron Gillane [0-7,7f], Séamus Flanagan [3-3], Gearóid Hegarty [0-4], Cathal O’Neill [0-3], Tom Morrissey [0-2], Diarmaid Byrnes [0-2,2f], Adam English, Kyle Hayes, Aidan O’Connor, David Reidy, Cian Lynch [0-1 each]
Cork
1. Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig)
2. Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons), 3. Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers) 4. Seán O’Donoghue (Inniscarra)
5. Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum), 6. Robert Downey (Glen Rovers), 7. Mark Coleman (Blarney)
8. Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s), 9. Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville)
10. Declan Dalton (Fr O’Neill’s), 11. Shane Barrett (Blarney), 12. Séamus Harnedy (St Ita’s)
13. Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers) , 14. Alan Connolly (Blackrock), 15. Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s)
Subs
- 18. Damien Cahalane (St. Finbarr’s) for E Downey [23 mins]
- 22. Brian Roche (Bride Rovers) for Twomey [52 mins]
- 17. Ger Millerick (Fr. O Neill’s) for Coleman [60 mins]
- 26. Shane Kingston (Douglas) for Dalton [61 mins]
- 20. Tommy O’Connell (Midleton) for R Downey [65 mins]
Limerick
1. Nickie Quaid (Effin)
2. Seán Finn (Bruff) 3. Dan Morrissey (Ahane) 4. Barry Nash (South Liberties)
5. Diarmuid Byrnes (Patrickswell) 6. Declan Hannon (Adare) 7. Kyle Hayes (Kildimo/Pallaskenry)
8. Will O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh) 9. Cian Lynch (Patrickswell)
10. Gearóid Hegarty (St Patrick’s) 11. David Reidy (Dromin-Athlacca) 12. Tom Morrissey (Ahane)
13. Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell) 14. Séamus Flanagan (Feohanagh/Castlemahon) 15. Cathal O’Neill (Crecora)
Subs
- 23. Fergal O’Connor (Effin) for Finn [ 37 mins inj]
- 19. Adam English (Doon) for Reidy [48 mins]
- 17. Conor Boylan (Na Piarsaigh) for T Morrissey [60 mins]
- 22. Aidan O’Connor (Ballybrown) for Hannon [67 mins]
- 24. Donnacha Ó Dálaigh (Monaleen) for Gillane [70 mins]
Referee: Seán Stack [Dublin]
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