Tipp Through To Munster Hurling Semi-Final

Full-time Score Tipperary 0-22 – Cork 0-13 at Semple Stadium to-day

Tipperary go forward, comfortably, to a Munster semi-final game, with a nine-point win over Cork at Semple Stadium, Thurles, this afternoon, in front of a 30,000 crowd.

Despite Tipperary playing with real intensity, particularly as Cork attempted to show real enthusiasm in the second half, the Tipp manager Michael Ryan will no doubt feel that he still has a little work ahead of his meeting with Limerick on June 19th. Overall Tipperary’s half-backs appeared more dominant than of previous years, despite today’s appalling weather conditions, which displayed a mixture of sunny spells, torrential rain, hail and sudden wind gusts.

Today’s game began with four-time All-Ireland referee Mr Barry Kelly throwing in the ball and Paudie Maher putting Tipperary in front, by a point from the start. With rain lashing down, it took until the fifth minute for Cork to register their first point on the scoreboard from Alan Cadogan, following a pass from Bill Cooper.

Today also ‘HawkEye’ had its first ever outing in Semple’s field; used late in the first half, while declaring a ‘Níl’ and confirming a Cork’s Dan McCormack effort, slightly wide of the uprights.

By half-time Tipperary had registered points for the Premier County courtesy of John McGrath, Seamus Callanan, Brendan Maher and Noel McGrath. Cork continued to remain out of range for some 11 minutes, following their first and only point, eventually scoring just 4 further points courtesy of Patrick Horgan, Brian Lawton & Conor Lehane.

The half-time score, with three minutes of stoppage time included, showed Tipperary 0-14 – Cork 0-05.

With the wind gusting now behind them, Cork appeared to show a mini revival, entering the second half. In the 37th minute of play Tipperary’s Seamus Callanan opened the scoring again with a point, followed by a point in the 46th minute of play from Cork’s Patrick Horgan.

Points from Cork’s Cormac Murphy, Seamus Harnedy, Conor Lehane and Alan Cadogan, however did little to stifle Tipperary’s hunger, with points answered from Tipperary’s John O’Dwyer, Seamus Callanan, John O’Dwyer & Kieran Bergin.

Full-time Final Score – Tipperary 0-22 Cork 0-13

Tipperary Team: Darren Gleeson (Portroe), Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill), James Barry (Upperchurch-Drombane), Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields), Seamus Kennedy (St Mary’s), Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Padraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Brendan Maher (Capt, Borris-Ileigh), Michael Breen (Ballina), Sean Curran (Mullinahone), Dan McCormack (Borris-Ileigh), Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney), John O’Dwyer (Killenaule), Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch) and John McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney).