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2025 oneills.com Munster GAA Hurling Under 20 Championship – Cork 1-22 Limerick 1-20

Cork defeated Limerick by 1-22 to 1-20 in Round 4 of the oneills.com Munster GAA Hurling Under 20 Championship on Wednesday April 23rd at the TUS Gaelic Grounds Limerick.
Walsh and Wilk guide Cork U20s to vital first win of Munster campaign https://t.co/2fumkvCNNR
— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) April 23, 2025
Walsh and Wilk guide Cork U20s to vital first win of Munster campaign
Report by Eoghan Cormican courtesy of the Irish Examiner newspaper
Munster U20 HC: Cork 1-22 Limerick 1-20
A massively important first round-robin win for the Cork U20 hurlers, even if they remain outside of Munster’s top three.
After drawing with Clare on the opening night and then falling to favourites Tipperary, nothing less than victory here would suffice to keep Noel Furlong’s charges in control of their own fate and in the hunt for a top-three Munster round-robin finish.
Defeat and likely elimination were the strongest of outcomes when Limerick roared back from five down on 44 minutes, 1-16 to 1-11, to take a one-point lead, 1-18 to 1-17, on 54 minutes.
It was a controversial lead score.
Mark O’Brien’s point from the open stand sideline was initially waved wide. But after intervention by the linesman, referee Nicky Barry instructed his umpire to raise the white flag.
Having managed only two points in the preceding 20 minutes and having watched as the lead and momentum went from them, the response and finish from the Cork boys was most admirable. Barry Walsh and his eighth free brought them level on 55 minutes.
Half-back Darragh Langan returned the hosts in front once more. Cork, again, had an answer. Timmy Wilk’s superb sideline cut was followed by another Walsh free and a confident strike from sub Adam O’Sullivan.
The latter was fouled in the third minute of injury-time to enable Walsh to bring his frees total to double-digits and Cork to victory.
Cork are at home to winless Waterford in their final round-robin fixture next Wednesday, with Clare and Limerick meeting in Rathkeale.
Limerick (0), Clare (-2), and Cork (-4) all currently sit on three points, and so a second victory for Cork will send them into either a Munster semi-final or final. A draw could also yet prove sufficient to progress to the knockout stages of the provincial championship.
Limerick trailed by five at the break. 1-13 to 1-8. They had been made to pay dearly for their inability to translate early dominance into white and green flags.
Their early dominance began with a green flag. A green flag that arrived as early as the 20th second. Robert O’Farrell cut in along the endline, Fintan Fitzgerald had his effort blocked, Donal Coughlan had not.
A three-in-a-row of points from Dara Ferland, Mark O’Brien (free) and Ferland again shoved the hosts 1-3 to 0-2 clear.
Their failure to push further ahead was their own doing. They had four wides registered by the 11th minute, plus a fifth white flag opportunity blocked down.
Around the quarter-hour mark, and when leading by two, Donal Coughlan was denied a second goal by Cork ‘keeper Daniel O’Connell.
Cork were not without their early opportunities.
They dropped two wide and two more short before Barry Walsh clipped his first from play and third of the evening on nine minutes.
The majority of the play, though, was taking place at the far end, even if the scoreboard disagreed with that statement.
Cork wrestled control of the scoreboard and proceedings with Timmy Wilk’s 17th-minute goal. It came as part of an unanswered 1-3. It pushed the visitors in front for the first time.
Between the 16th and 23rd minute, they outgunned the Treaty by 1-5 to 0-1. Wilk, Ben Walsh, Barry O’Flynn, and Ross O’Sullivan were all to the fore.
That three subs – Adam O’Sullivan, Mark O’Brien, and Finn O’Brien – finished up the scoresheet emphasised that all hands were required to eke out this first win of the campaign.
Interview with Limerick Manager Evan Loftus
WATCH: Evan Loftus gives his thoughts as Cork strike late in U20 Hurling clash
It finished Limerick 1-20 Cork 1-22 – Limerick need a win or draw at home to Clare to progress to a Munster semi-final@MunsterGAA | @LimerickCLG |#SportLK pic.twitter.com/UpquybF4eQ
— Sporting LK (@SportingLK) April 23, 2025
Scorers for Cork: Barry Walsh (0-12, 0-10 frees); T Wilk (1-2, 0-1 sc); B O’Flynn (0-2); P O’Shea, R O’Sullivan, D O’Connell (free), A O’Sullivan, M O’Brien, F O’Brien (0-1 each).
Scorers for Limerick: M O’Brien (0-5, 0-4 frees); R O’Farrell, F Fitzgerald (0-3 each); D Coughlan (1-0); D Ferland (0-2); J Cosgrove, D Langan, M Fitzgerald, J Finn, H Flanagan, S Duff, D Frewen (0-1 each).
Cork: D O’Connell (Dromina); D O’Leary (Ballincollig), J O’Brien (Fermoy), D Cashman (Bride Rovers); E Guinane (Valley Rovers), D Murnane (Carrigtwohill), T Wilk (Cobh); Ben Walsh (Killeagh), P O’Shea (Erin’s Own); J Murphy (Mallow), Barry Walsh (Killeagh), R Deasy (Ballymartle); B O’Flynn (Sarsfields), R O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh), J Wigginton Barrett (St Finbarr’s).
Subs: A O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig) for J O’Brien (36, inj); M O’Brien (Duglas) for Wigginton Barrett (40); F O’Brien (Erin’s Own) for R O’Sullivan (43); J Murphy (Dromina) for O’Shea (50); D McCarthy (Killeagh) for J Murphy (57).
Limerick: F O’Brien (Bruree); J Murphy (Patrickswell), D Scully (Dromin Athlacca), S Casey (Bruff); J Cosgrove (Ahane), A O’Connell (Doon), D Langan (Monaleen); M Fitzgerald (Monaleen), J Finn (Na Piarsaigh); D Coughlan (Doon), D Ferland (Monaleen), H Flanagan (Garryspillane); F Fitzgerald (Mungret St Paul’s), R O’Farrell (Kildimo Pallaskenry), M O’Brien (Mungret St Paul’s).
Subs: S Duff (Mungret St Paul’s) for Coughlan (35); D Hurley (Hospital Herbertstown) for M Fitzgerald (40); B Adams (Ballybrown) for Ferland (45); D Frewen (Glenroe) for Finn (52).
Referee: N Barry (Waterford).
Team News
Fixture Details
Wednesday April 23rd
2025 oneills.com Munster GAA Hurling Under 20 Championship Round 4
Limerick v Cork
Venue: TUS Gaelic Grounds Limerick at 7:30pm
Referee: Nicky Barry (Waterford)
Live on TG4
Ticket Information
General Admission: €10
Students/OAPs: €5
Under 16’s: Free
Tickets are available from participating Centra and Supervalu outlets or online via the link below.
Match Coverage
This game will be live on TG4.
Team News
Limerick U20 Hurling manager Evan Loftus and his selectors have just released their team and match panel to face Cork this Wednesday evening at 7.30pm in their round 4 https://t.co/nwzjlGd9Af Munster U20 Hurling Championship game in TUS Gaelic Grounds. pic.twitter.com/cAVSEuEvND
— Limerick GAA (@LimerickCLG) April 22, 2025
LIMERICK: Fionn O’Brien; John Murray (Patrickswell), Sean Casey (Bruff), Dan Scully (Dromin-Athlacca); Jack Cosgrave (Ahane), Aidan O’Connell (Doon), Darragh Langan (Monaleen); Matthew Fitzgerald (Monaleen), James Finn (Na Piarsaigh); Robert O’Farrell (Kildimo-Pallaskenry), Dara Ferland (Monaleen), Hugh Flanagan (Garryspillane); Mark O’Brien (Mungret St Paul’s), Donal Coughlan (Doon);, Fintan Fitzgerald (Captain, Mungret St Paul’s).
SUBS: Pierce Connery (Kilmallock), Barry Adams (Ballybrown), Tadgh Boddy (Dromin-Athlacca), Conor Bickford (Ahane), Sean Duff (Mungret St Paul’s), , Darren Frewan (Glenroe), Diarmuid Hurley (Hospital-Herbertstown), Ruairi O’Connor (Feenagh-Kilmeedy), Owen Meaney (Bruff).
CORK: D O’Connell (Dromina); D Cashman (Bride Rovers), J O’Brien (Fermoy), T Wilk (Cobh); Ben Walsh (Killeagh), D O’Leary (Ballincollig), D Murnane (Carrigtwohill); E Guinane (Valley Rovers), R Deasy (Ballymartle); J Murphy (Mallow), B O’Flynn (Sarsfields), P O’Shea (Erin’s Own); J Wigginton Barrett (St Finbarr’s), R O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh), Barry Walsh (Killeagh)
Subs: O Walsh (Youghal), C Dunphy (Erin’s Own), C O’Callaghan (Dungourney), D McCarthy (Killeagh), A O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig), J Murphy (Dromina), O Fitzgerald (St. Catherine’s), Mark O’Brien (Douglas), Finn O’Brien (Erin’s Own)