KERRY CLAIMED THEIR first silverware under manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice with a seven-point win against Tipperary in the McGrath Cup final.
Darran O’Sullivan scored the game’s opening goal as Kerry took advantage of the strong wind at their backs to take a commanding 1-7 to 0-2 lead at the break.
That lead was stretched to 11 points by the time Tipperary raised a green flag late on but it proved to be little more than a consolation for Peter Creedon’s men as Kerry ran out 1-12 to 1-5 winners.
Tipperary: Paul Fitzgerald; Andrew Morrissey, Paddy Codd (c), John Coughlan; Brian Fox, Seamus Kennedy, Ciaran McDonald; George Hannigan, Lorcan Egan; Steven O’Brien, Philip Quirke, Bill Maher; Liam McGrath, Barry Grogan, Conor Sweeney.Kerry: Brendan Kealy; Marc Ó Sé , Aidan O’Mahony, Shane Enright; Jonathan Lyne, Jack Sherwood, Tomás Ó Sé; Anthony Maher (c), Bryan Sheehan; Michael Geaney, Darran O’Sullivan, Michael O’Donoghue; Barry John Keane, Patrick Curtin, Paul Geaney.
Meanwhile Cork will play either Clare or University of Limerick in the Waterford Crystal Cup semi-finals after they had a comfortable 17-point win over Waterford IT in Páirc Uí Rinn this afternoon.
With Pa Cronin, Patrick Horgan and Paudie O’Sullivan among those dropped to the bench by Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Kilworth’s Adrian Mannix starred with two goals in the second half to cap a 4-16 to 1-8 victory.
Cork hit the front early on and led 2-3 to 0-2 inside the opening quarter of an hour thanks to a penalty from goalkeeper Anthony Nash and a goal from Jamie Coughlan.
Michael Sheedy cut that deficit when he hit back with WIT’s only goal a minute later but with Coughlan and Mannix taking their points freely, Cork went in eight points to good at the break, leading 2-9 to 1-4.
The Rebels continued to stretch their lead after the break before Mannix put the game to bed with his first goal in 57th minute before following it up with another five minutes later.
Cork scorers: Adrian Mannix 2-4, Jamie Coughlan 1-4, Anthony Nash 1-0 (pen), Cian McCarthy 0-4 (f) Daniel Kearney, Rob O’Shea, Brian Corry, Stephen Moylan 0-1 each.Cork : Anthony Nash; James O’Donovan, Mark Ellis, Pat O’Sullivan; Colm Spillane, Christopher Joyce, Stephen White; Daniel Kearney, Rob O’Shea; Brian Corry, Cian McCarthy, Cormac Murphy; Adrian Mannix, Michael Cussen, Jamie Coughlan.
WIT: M Fanning; M Power, L O’Loughlin, J Cahill; A McGrath, L Harney, T Hammill; S Murphy, S Roche; M Gaffney, M Sheedy, H Kehoe; E Murphy, C Heffernan, G Aylward.
In the first of the Walsh Cup quarter-finals, Richie Mulrooney’s young Kilkenny side had to rally late on to snatch a two-point win against NUIG.
Carrickshock’s John Power levelled the match at 0-15 apiece late and then edged the Cats in front before Mark Bergin pointed to see out a 0-17 to 0-15 win.
Kilkenny now face the winner of tomorrow’s clash between Wexford and Offaly in the final four. The other semi-final sees either UCD or Dublin, whose game in Parnell Park was postponed last night, play either Carlow or Galway who meet tomorrow.
NUIG: Donal Tuohy; David Magner, Kevin Moynihan, Brian Flaherty; Eoin Fahy, Liam Markham, Sean McCormack; Billy Lane, Aaron Cunningham; Eamon Glynn, Niall Burke, Ger O’Donoghue; Kevin Downes, Josephy Cooney, Daithi Burke.Kilkenny: Aaron Duggan; Jason Corcoran, Padraig Keating, Brian Kennedy; Conor Martin, Joe Holden, Owen McGrath; Tom Breen, Richie Reid; Mark Bergin, Mark Kelly, Rory Hickey; Matthew Ruth, Shane Maher, John Power.
