Bord Gais Energy Munster U-21H Final – Limerick 4-20 Cork 1-27

Extra special win for Limerick

Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21 HC final

Limerick 4-20 Cork 1-27

By Fintan O’Toole, Gaelic Grounds for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Thursday, August 04, 2011

IT TOOK more than 80 minutes of spellbinding action before Limerick grasped the provincial U21 hurling trophy for the sixth time after a sensational Bord Gáis Energy Munster decider before 8,536 supporters in the Gaelic Grounds last night. A Declan Hannon goal in the 74th minute after a wonderful run by Graeme Mulcahy to create the opportunity was the critical strike in inserting daylight between these sides. Despite Cork’s best efforts to scramble level in a frantic finish, Limerick staved off their challenge to spark riotous scenes of celebration at the final whistle.

In a game that throbbed with excitement, this was the latest classic for an U21 hurling catalogue that is already stacked with thrillers. Normal time concluded in a blaze of drama when Aidan Walsh brought the sides level in the 62nd minute at 1-20 to 3-14 after he landed a monster effort. Any fears that Walsh would be suffering from the hangover of last Sunday’s disappointment with the Cork senior footballers were erased and he began like a man possessed. Limerick had no answer to his aerial prowess in the first half and his shooting was superb as well, landing five points from play. He finished up with 0-8 and it was rough justice for him to be on the losing team.

However Limerick’s ability to plunder goals on the night underpinned their victory. The four green flags they raised all came at opportune stages. Mulcahy’s shot to the net after only 19 seconds was an ideal tonic to settle the pre-game nerves of the Treaty men. Then after trailing 0-12 to 1-7 at the break, they shot 2-3 in a five-minute spell early in the second half. Mulcahy and Seanie O’Brien bagged the goals with splendidly skilful finishes while the influence of Declan Hannon became more pronounced as the game progressed. It was not just a night for their offensive stars, however. Corner-back Alan Dempsey was terrific throughout, Pat Begley looks set to slip into the number three senior jersey in the near future while Conor Allis was an energetic force at midfield.

Defeat was a devastating blow for Cork as they appeared to have set themselves on course for victory in extra-time. The sublime play of Walsh and Conor Lehane had propelled them into an interval advantage, and after being rocked by Limerick’s powerful early second-half showing, they responded impressively. Full-back Damien Cahalane was magnificent, nullifying the challenge of danger man Kevin Downes, while James Nagle was to the fore at half-back. The critical score that underlined Cork’s second-half revival was a 48th minute goal from Luke O’Farrell, when he showed great athleticism to make a superb catch and rifle a fierce shot to the net. That trimmed the gap to 3-11 to 1-15 and while Limerick went two points ahead near the finish, Jamie Coughlan cut the margin to one before he landed an incredible effort to tie the game.

The opening period of extra-time was all about Coughlan, who finished with 0-10 to his name. By the 70th minute he had helped shoot Cork into a 1-26 to 3-17 lead and success appeared imminent. But Limerick were resilient and they only conceded one point in the closing stages of extra-time, with Aaron Murphy making an important block from an O’Farrell goal effort before Hannon pounced for that fourth goal which spurred Limerick onto their first U21 crown since 2002.

Scorers for Limerick: G Mulcahy 2-1, S Dowling 0-7 (0-6f), D Hannon 1-4, C Allis 0-4 (0-1f), M Carmody 0-3, S O’Brien 1-0, K Downes 0-1.

Scorers for Cork: J Coughlan 0-10 (0-5f, 0-1 ‘65), A Walsh 0-8, L O’Farrell 1-2, C Lehane 0-3, D Brosnan, M O’Sullivan, D Drake (0-1 sideline), S O’Brien 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: A Murphy; A Dempsey, P Begley, S O’Reilly; C McNamara, C Hayes, T O’Callaghan; C Allis, S O’Brien; S Dowling, D Hannon, N Kennedy; M Ryan, K Downes, G Mulcahy.

Subs: J O’Brien for McNamara (15), M Carmody for Ryan (half-time), B O’Connell for Begley (blood) (48), Begley for O’Connell (50), A Breen for O’Brien (56), S Madden for Mulcahy (59), B Cleary for O’Reilly (60), Mulcahy for Madden (60), B O’Connell for O’Callaghan (68), S O’Brien for Breen (70).

CORK: D McCarthy; C Joyce, D Cahalane, S Corry; J Nagle, W Egan, M Ellis; S O’Farrell, D Roche; D Brosnan, M O’Sullivan, A Walsh; L O’Farrell, C Lehane, J Coughlan.

Subs: P Honohan for Ellis (half-time), D Drake for Brosnan (38), B Withers for Corry (40), S O’Brien for S O’Farrell (43), P Haughney for Lehane (54), Lehane for Haughney (66), Brosnan for O’Sullivan (74).

Referee: Pat Casey (Waterford)

Treaty bask in final victory

AN ecstatic Limerick manager Leo O’Connor paid tribute to everyone in the county who had contributed in developing the side that delivered last night’s epic extra-time Munster U21 hurling final triumph in the Gaelic Grounds. “It was heart-stopping stuff but it’s absolutely tremendous. We live for nights like tonight and this is a great night for Limerick hurling. This didn’t happen just tonight. It is a credit really to people like Tony Roche who have looked after development squads over the last number of years. So many other individuals like Shane Fitzgibbon, Frankie Carroll, Mike Galligan, John Kiely and Pat Donnelly have worked so hard over the last few years for this.”

“We took our chances but we definitely missed a few other chances to score some as well. We said to the lads at half-time of extra-time when we were three points down that we’d ten minutes left and to give it everything. That’s what we did and that’s why we are where we are. But we’ve got to get fellas feet back on the ground and get them thinking about the All-Ireland semi-final and thinking about working again.” Cork boss Ger Fitzgerald said; “We had chances and maybe when we got the goal chances, we could have hit points to keep the thing ticking over. But that’s the nature of it and credit Limerick.”

Limerick lift Munster U-21 title after Gaelic Grounds thriller

From the Breakingnews.ie web site

Limerick 4-20 Cork 1-27 (after extra-time)

Limerick showed immense durability and a canny knack of scoring timely goals as they secured their first Bord Gáis Energy Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship title since 2002. Leo O’Connor’s determined side needed 80 minutes to put away this talent-laden Cork outfit, scoring 1-2 in the second period of extra-time. The Gaelic Grounds erupted at the finish to proclaim the scorer of that crucial goal, Declan Hannon, and his team-mates.

Just three days after the Cork footballers’ All-Ireland exit, dual player Aidan Walsh excelled for the Rebels Under-21 hurlers. He scored eight points from play, including a blockbuster which forced extra-time at 3-14 to 1-20. Walsh was also pivotal to Cork’s interval advantage of 0-12 to 1-7. They stretched their lead to four points at one stage, but quick-fire goals from Sean O’Brien and Graeme Mulcahy saw the Shannonsiders roar back. It was a breathless game full of skilful, fluid hurling and intriguing individual battles, and both teams deserve great credit for maintaining the high standard through to the final second.

Limerick got off to a stunning start. Pressure on Cork from the throw-in led to Seamus Corry being hooked and Mulcahy darted away with the loose ball to round goalkeeper Darren McCarthy and finish smartly to the empty net. Luke O’Farrell, one of the senior panellists on show for Cork, replied with a fourth minute point, before Conor Allis lobbed over a lovely effort off his left. A brace of frees from Jamie Coughlan closed the gap to 1-1 to 0-3, and with Cork able to deliver quick ball into their forwards, Michael O’Sullivan levelled the sides in the tenth minute.

The action moved swiftly from either end of the pitch, with McCarthy standing up well to block a batted shot from Michael Ryan. Walsh then delighted the Cork faithful with a superb catch and point. A well-struck free from Shane Dowling ended Limerick’s scoreless spell, but Cork continued to threaten in open play and Conor Lehane hit back-to-back scores. The Rebels failed to convert their first goal-scoring opportunity, the move ending with Dean Brosnan pointing from close range. Yet Dowling cancelled that out with his second free. Walsh split the posts for a 0-9 to 1-3 scoreline, only for Mulcahy to respond at the other end following a terrific instinctive hand-pass from the impressive Dowling.

The same two players combined in the next attack, Mulcahy winning a free which Dowling pointed. Limerick’s free-taker tagged on another to square things up at 1-6 to 0-9. Walsh grabbed his third point, another created by himself, before his captain William Egan managed to disrupt Mulcahy just as he tried to pull the trigger for Limerick’s second goal. Limerick stopper Aaron Murphy did brilliantly to get down low and save a goal-bound effort from O’Farrell. But that man Walsh showed his accuracy again when cancelling out Dowling’s fifth free of the night. The Shannonsiders’ wides tally increased to six in the dying embers of the half. Their misses were compounded by Walsh’s fifth point in injury-time, with substitute James O’Brien now trying to keep him quiet.

Walsh continued to stamp his mark on the game, clipping over the opening point of the second period to extend Cork’s lead to 0-13 to 1-7. O’Farrell again went in search of a goal after taking a high catch, but Murphy was equal to his shot again and deflecting it out for a ‘65’ which Egan missed. Walsh’s golden touch did not desert him even from long range. He raised his seventh white flag after a quick turnover of possession.

But Limerick suddenly upped the tempo, fashioning two goals in the space of three minutes. Alan Dempsey played a long ball forward in the 37th minute, Sean O’Brien burst onto it and with a shortened grip, produced a crafty, flicked finish past the advancing McCarthy. Dowling’s first point from play got Limerick back level and the ever predatory Mulcahy then swooped for his second goal, knocking the ball home one-handed as the Cork defence was exposed again.

It was all Limerick as Declan Hannon burst into life, firing over two points and Allis was also on target. In response, Cork substitute David Drake drilled over a sideline cut from the right. Cork were right back in the hunt when Luke O’Farrell acrobatically gathered Michael O’Sullivan’s cross-field pass and drove a powerful shot high into the net, with 12 minutes remaining. O’Farrell, with his marker Patrick Begley off for a blood injury, added a point to reduce the arrears to 3-11 to 1-16 and a Coughlan free made it all square with eight minutes to go.

It was Limerick’s turn to put on a spurt, lively substitute Mark Carmody landing two points and the increasingly influential Hannon also raising another white flag. Coughlan sandwiched in a free between those scores and Michael O’Sullivan nicked a shot into the side-netting from point blank range. The tension was palpable amongst the 8,536-strong crowd as Limerick stubbornly held onto a 3-14 to 1-18 advantage.

Somehow, Cork summoned enough strength to fight back in injury-time and force extra-time. Coughlan converted his fifth free and Walsh registered the most memorable point of the night, which can be best described as a wonder score from centre-field. The first period of extra-time saw Ger Fitzgerald’s Cork charges gain the upper hand, mostly through the pinpoint shooting of corner forward Coughlan who added four points to his tally. Substitute Simon O’Brien and Conor Lehane, who had a short spell on the sideline, also found the target, helping their side take a 1-26 to 3-17 lead by the break.

Limerick kept in the hunt with scores from Allis (free), the excellent Carmody and Dowling (free), and another placed ball from Allis put two points between the sides early in the second period (1-26 to 3-18). Their belief could not be questioned and a fleet-footed attack yielded that vital fourth goal. Mulcahy hurtled through the heart of the Cork defence and his well-timed hand-pass set up Hannon for a neat shot into the bottom far corner. Skipper Kevin Downes belatedly added his name to the scoresheet to make it 4-19 to 1-26 to O’Connor’s youngsters, and full-back Begley bravely smothered a goal chance from O’Farrell.

The resulting ‘65’ was slung over by Coughlan for his 10th point. But Limerick were in defiant mood and Hannon nudged the winning margin o two points. With goalkeeper Murphy alert to any late danger, Downes and his colleagues held on to claim the provincial silverware and advance to an All-Ireland semi-final against Galway on Sunday, August 20.

Scorers: Limerick: Graeme Mulcahy 2-1, Declan Hannon 1-4, Shane Dowling 0-7 (0-6f), Conor Allis 0-4 (0-2f), Sean O’Brien 1-0, Mark Carmody 0-3, Kevin Downes 0-1

Cork: Jamie Coughlan 0-10 (0-6f, 0-1 ‘65’), Aidan Walsh 0-8, Luke O’Farrell 1-2, Conor Lehane 0-3, Michael O’Sullivan, Dean Brosnan, David Drake (0-1sl), Simon O’Brien 0-1 each

LIMERICK: Aaron Murphy; Alan Dempsey, Patrick Begley, Steve O’Reilly; Cathal McNamara, Cian Hayes, Thomas O’Callaghan; Conor Allis, Sean O’Brien; Niall Kennedy, Declan Hannon, Shane Dowling; Michael Ryan, Kevin Downes (capt), Graeme Mulcahy.

Subs used: James O’Brien for McNamara (16 mins), Mark Carmody for Ryan (half-time), Barry O’Connell for Begley (48-50, blood sub), Aidrian Breen for O’Brien (56); Brian Cleary for O’Reilly (1, extra-time), Barry O’Connell for O’Callaghan (8, extra-time), Sean O’Brien for Breen (11, extra-time).

CORK: Darren McCarthy; Christopher Joyce, Damien Cahalane, Seamus Corry; James Nagle, William Egan (capt), Mark Ellis; Seamus O’Farrell, Daniel Roche; Dean Brosnan, Conor Lehane, Aidan Walsh; Luke O’Farrell, Michael O’Sullivan, Jamie Coughlan.

Subs used: Paul Honohan for Ellis (half-time), David Drake for Brosnan (39 mins), Brendan Withers for Corry (41), Simon O’Brien for S O’Farrell (45), Paul Haughney for Lehane (55); Conor Lehane for Haughney (7, extra-time), Dean Brosnan for M O’Sullivan (15, extra-time).

Referee: Pat Casey (Waterford)

Team News

The Cork U21 Hurling team to play Limerick in Wednesday night’s Bórd Gáis Energy Munster U21 Hurling Final (Limerick, 7.30pm) will line out as follows:

1. Darren McCarthy

Ballymartle

2. Christopher Joyce 3. Damien Cahalane 4. Seamus Corry

Na Piarsaigh St. Finbarrs Ballymartle

5. James Nagle 6. William Egan 7. Mark Ellis

Midleton Kilbrin Millstreet

8. Seamus O’Farrell 9. Daniel Roche

Midleton Sarsfields

10. Dean Brosnan 11. Conor Lehane 12. Aidan Walsh

Glen Rovers Midleton Kanturk

13. Luke O’Farrell 14. Michael O’Sullivan 15. Jamie Coughlan

Midleton Tracton Newtownshandrum

16. Michael O’Neill Bishopstown

17. Brendan Withers Banteer

18. Eddie Finn Ballinhassig

19. Paul Honohan Bishopstown

20. David Drake Carrigaline

21. Maurice Sexton Kilbrittain

22. Seamus Harnedy St. Itas

23. Simon O’Brien Carrigaline

24. Paul Haughney Midleton

25. Brian Collins Killeagh

26. Eoin O’Sullivan Sarsfields

When – Wednesday August 3^rd @ 7:30pm

Where – Gaelic Grounds Limerick

Referee – Pat Casey (Waterford)
Stand-by Referee – Johnny Ryan (Tipperary)
Linesman – Fergal Horgan (Tipperary)
4th Official – Damien Fox (Clare)
Umpires – James Casey, Patrick Murphy, Michael Mernin, Pat Walsh

Extra time – (2 periods x 10 minutes only) to be played if sides finish level at the end of 60 minutes

Replay date – Wednesday August 10^th at a Cork venue

Next Round – the winners play Galway on August 20^th in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

Admission Prices –
Adult – €15
Student/OAP with appropriate ID Card – €10
Under 16s are free

Purchase Tickets online

Match Coverage

This game will be shown live on TG4

Contact Munster GAA PRO Ed Donnelly at pro.munster@gaa.ie for more information

For the Record

BORD GAIS ENERGY MUNSTER GAA
HURLING UNDER 21 CHAMPIONSHIP 2011

Quarter-Final

Wednesday June 1st

@ Semple Stadium Thurles           Tipperary 4-12 Waterford 1-16

Semi-Finals

Friday July 15th

@ Semple Stadium Thurles           Cork 4-19 Tipperary 1-21

Tuesday July 26^th

@ Cusack Park Ennis                    Limerick 2-19 Clare 1-15

Final
Wednesday August 3^rd

@ Gaelic Grounds Limerick               Limerick v Cork 7:30pm

Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship Roll Of Honour

Tipperary (20) – 1964, 1965, 1967, 1972, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010

Cork (18) – 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2007

Limerick (5) – 1986, 1987, 2000, 2001, 2002

Waterford (3) – 1974, 1992, 1994

Clare (1) – 2009

Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship – List of Winning Teams

Visit the Munster GAA web site History section to view the complete list of each winning team since the competition began in1964 – https://munster.gaa.ie/history/u21h_teams/

Munster Under 21 Hurling Cup

Corn na Cásca presented by the Munster Council in 1966 to commemorate the jubilee of the 1916 Rising.

All Ireland Under 21 Hurling Championship

In the Under 21 Hurling All Ireland Roll of Honour, Cork top the charts along with Kilkenny with 11 titles. Tipperary are joint-third with 9 titles, tied with Galway. Limerick have won 4 All-Ireland titles in this grade while Waterford and Clare have 1 title each.

2011 Bord Gais Energy Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship Matches played to date

Tipperary 4-12 Waterford 1-16 – June 1^st @ Semple Stadium Thurles (Munster Quarter-Final)

Tipperary – P Ryan; C Haugh, K O’Gorman, S Maher; B Stapleton, J Barry, P Heffernan; N McGrath, J Gallagher; S Curran, P Murphy, A Ryan; J O’Neill, B O’Meara, J O’Dwyer.
Subs: S O’Brien for Barry (inj, h-t), A McCormack for Ryan (39), M Sheedy for Curran (56).

Waterford – S O’Keeffe; J Barron, D Fives, N Connors; P Prendergast, Philip Mahony, S Daniels; S Roche, A Brophy; E Murphy, Pauric Mahony, M O’Neill; B O’Sullivan, M Shanahan, J Dillon.
Subs: O Whelan for O’Neill (h-t), O Connors for Brophy (47), E Madigan for Murphy (inj 56).

Referee – Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork)

Cork 4-19 Tipperary 1-21 – July 15^th @ Semple Stadium Thurles (Munster Semi-Final)

Cork – D McCarthy; C Joyce, E Finn, S Corry; J Nagle, W Egan, M Ellis; S O’Farrell, D Roche; D Brosnan, C Lehane, A Walsh; L O’Farrell, M O’Sullivan, J Coughlan.
Subs: D Drake for Roche (half-time), D Cahalane for Finn (42), E O’Sullivan for S O’Farrell (58).

Tipperary – P Ryan; C Haugh, K O’Gorman, S O’Brien; J Barry, N McGrath, P Heffernan; B Stapleton, A Ryan; J O’Neill, S Curran, P Murphy; K Morris, B O’Meara, J O’Dwyer.
Subs: J Gallagher for Barry (25), S Maher for O’Brien (half-time), M Sheedy for Morris (50), W Maher for Murphy (54).

Referee: Michael Wadding (Waterford)

Limerick 2-19 Clare 1-15 – July 26^th @ Cusack Park Ennis (Munster Semi-Final)

Limerick: A Murphy; A Dempsey, P Begley, S O’Reilly; C McNamara, C Hayes, T O’Callaghan; C Allis, S O’Brien; S Dowling, D Hannon, N Kennedy; M Ryan, K Downes, W Griffin.
Subs: B Cleary for O’Callaghan (41); M Carmody for Griffin (44); S Madden for Ryan (61); B O’Connor for McNamara (59); T Fleming for Downes (62).

Clare: K Brennan; D Nash, P O’Connor, P Flanagan; K Ryan, C Chaplin, S O’Halloran; C Ryan, L Markham; C McInerney, S Golden, T Kelly; P Collins, C McGrath, F Kennedy.
Subs: D O’Halloran for C Ryan (30); A Lynch for Kennedy (30); J Fennessey for Golden (41).

Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)

2011 Top Scorers – Bord Gais Energy Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship

John O’Dwyer (Tipperary) 0-13 (0-11 frees)
John O’Neill (Tipperary) 2-3

Kevin Downes (Limerick) 1-4
Conor Lehane (Cork) 1-4

Noel McGrath (Tipperary) 1-4 (1-0 penalty, 0-3 frees)
Brian O’Sullivan (Waterford ) 1-4

Luke O’Farrell (Cork) 1-3
Pauric Mahony (Waterford) 0-6 frees
Michael Ryan  (Limerick) 1-2
Dean Brosnan (Cork) 1-2
Brian O’Meara (Tipperary) 1-2
Sean Curran (Tipperary) 1-2
Adrian Ryan (Tipperary) 0-5
Jamie Coughlan (Cork) 0-5 (0-2 frees)
Conor McGrath (Clare) 0-5 (0-3 frees, 0-1 65)
Aidan Walsh (Cork) 1-1
Cathal McInerney (Clare) 1-1
Shane Dowling  (Limerick) 0-4 (0-2 frees)
Maurice Shanahan (Waterford) 0-4

Conor Allis  (Limerick) 0-3 (0-2 65s, 0-1 frees)
Tony Kelly (Clare) 0-3
David O’Halloran (Clare) 0-3
Seanie O’Brien (Limerick) 0-2
Michael O’Sullivan (Cork) 0-2
Liam Markham (Clare) 0-2

William Egan (Cork) (0-1 free), Sean O’Farrell (Cork), Brian Stapleton (Tipperary), Paddy Murphy (Tipperary), Mike Sheedy (Tipperary), Kieran Morris (Tipperary), Jake Dillon (Waterford), Owen Connors (Waterford), William Griffin  (Limerick), Niall Kennedy (Limerick), Declan Hannon  (Limerick), Mark Carmody (Limerick), Paudge Collins (Clare) 0-1 each

Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship Cork vs. Limerick Past Meetings Breakdown

–          Cork have won one of the last 5 meetings with Limerick at this grade dating back to 2000

–          The last meeting of Cork and Limerick in a Munster Under 21 Hurling Final was in 2000 when Limerick defeated Cork after a replay by 4-18 to 1-6 at the Gaelic Grounds Limerick. The drawn game played at Pairc Ui Chaoimh finished at 1-13 each.

–          In 9 Munster Under 21 Hurling Finals between Cork and Limerick, Limerick’s only victories came in 1987 and 2000 (after a replay)

–          Cork’s last Munster Under 21 Hurling Final victory over Limerick came in 1993, winning by 1-18 to 3-9 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

–          The highest score by an individual team in a Cork vs. Limerick Under 21 Hurling match was in 1968 when Cork defeated Limerick by 7-8 to 3-6.

–          The highest margin of victory in a Cork vs. Limerick Under 21 Hurling match came in the 2000 final replay when Limerick defeated Cork by 4-18 to 1-6 – a margin of 21 points.

Bits and Pieces

Limerick and Cork last met in the Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship on July 9^th 2003 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Goals by Setanta O’Halpin (2) and John Gardiner helped Cork to a 3-10 to 1-11 victory. Patrick Kirby scored 1-5 for Limerick while Niall Moran and Andrew O’Shaughnessy added a point apiece. The teams were as follows –

Cork – M Coleman; S Murphy, G O’Brien, B Murphy; G Callinan, J Gardiner, C O’Connor; P Tierney, K Hartnett; M O’Connor, K Murphy, S O’Sullivan; D O’Riordan, S Ó hAilpín, D Cashman.
Subs: F Murphy for O’Sullivan; B Barry for M O’Connor.

Limerick – T Houlihan; D O’Mahony, P O’Dwyer, M Cliford; G Heagney, E Foley, M O’Brien; N Moran, P Tobin; T Carmody, P Ryan, P Kirby; A O’Shaughnessy, B Geoghegan, B Murray.
Subs: P Russell for Murray; G O’Sullivan for Ryan; A. O’Connor for Geoghegan.

Referee – Michael Wadding (Waterford)

Limerick’s winning captains in the Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship to date are as follows – 1986 (Anthony O’Riordan), 1987 (Gussie Ryan), 2000 (Donnacha Sheehan), 2001 (Timmy Houlihan), 2002 (Peter Lawlor)

Limerick as Munster Under 21 Hurling Champions have only ever lost 1 match in the All-Ireland Under 21 Hurling Championship, winning 4 All-Ireland Under 21 Hurling Finals in 1987, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Cork’s winning captains in the Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship to date are as follows – 1966 (Gerard McCarthy), 1968 (Pat Hegarty), 1969 (Donal Clifford), 1970 (Teddy O’Brien), 1971 (Pat McDonnell), 1973 (Mick Corbett), 1975 (Frank O’Sullivan), 1976 (Tadhg Murphy), 1977 (Tom Lyons), 1982 (Martin McCarthy), 1988 (Christy Connery), 1991 (Brian Cunningham), 1993 (Frank O’Mahony), 1996 (Seanie McGrath), 1997 (Dan Murphy), 1998 (Dan Murphy), 2005 (Pat Fitzgerald), 2007 (Shane O’Neill)

Cork’s 18 Munster Under 21 Hurling Final success are broken down by decade as follows –  1960’s (3), 1970’s (6), 1980’s (2), 1990’s (5), 2000’s (2)

When Cork won their 16^th Munster Under 21 Hurling title in 1998, they led Tipperary at the top of the roll of honour by 2 titles – Tipperary with 14. Since then, Tipperary have won 6 Munster Under 21 Hurling titles (and 1 All-Ireland Under 21 Hurling title) while Cork have added 2 further Munster Under 21 Hurling title and recorded no All-Ireland Under 21 Hurling Final success.

Tipperary have played in 28 finals, winning 20. Cork have contested 27 finals, being successful 18 times. Waterford have qualified for just 6 of the 47 finals played to date, winning 3. Limerick’s record is Played 16, Won 5, Lost 11. Finally, Clare lost 11 finals before winning their first in 2009 before going on to lose the 2010 final to Tipperary.

On this date in history – August 3^rd 2005 – Goals by Maurice O’Sullivan (2), Diarmuid Dorris and Kevin Hartnett helped Cork to a 4-8 to 0-13 victory over Tipperary in the Munster Under 21 Hurling Final. Conor O’Mahony (full-back) and Shane McGrath (midfield) lined out for Tipperary while current Dublin star Ryan O’Dwyer was a Tipperary sub. The Cork team included Shane O’Neill (wing-back) and Michael Cussen (full-forward) while dual star Eoin Cadogan came on as a substitute during the match.

The 2011 Cork Senior Hurling captain Shane O’Neill led Cork to Munster Under 21 Hurling success in 2007, their last title at this grade. The Cork team included Eoin Cadogan, Pat Cronin, Cathal Naughton and Pat Horgan.

In the 2008 Munster Minor Hurling Championship Semi-Final playoff, six point each by Paul Haughney and Simon O’Brien (4 frees) helped Cork to a come from behind 0-23 to 1-11 victory at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. In a game refereed by Pat Casey (Waterford), a Graham Mulcahy midway through the first half helped Limerick to a 1-9 to 0-10 interval lead. However, Cork dominated the second half, outscoring Limerick by 0-11 to 0-2 to run out deserving winners.

Cork – D McCarthy; E Moynihan, D Rodgers, P Honohan; L Ó Riain, P O’Shea, A Walsh; D Roche (capt), W Egan; S O’Farrell, M Collins, C Sheehan; J O’Dwyer, S O’Brien, P Haughney.
Subs: M Sexton for L Ó Riain (ht), M Carroll for M Collins (58).

Limerick – N Carrig; B Cleary, J O’Callaghan, K Kennedy; M Deegan, D Madden, P Begley; T Fleming, S O’Brien (capt); N Kennedy, S Madden, G Mulcahy; K Downes, S Bulfin, E O’Sullivan.
Subs: J Greaney for K Downes (45), M Keating for S Bulfin (56), D Byrne for E O’Sullivan (58).

Scorers — Cork: P Haughney, S O’Brien (4f) 0-6 each, J O’Dwyer 0-4, C Sheehan 0-3, M Collins, A Walsh, D Roche, P O’Shea 0-1 each. Limerick: K Downes 0-6 (4f, 1 ’65), G Mulcahy 1-0, S Madden 0-3, N Kennedy 0-1, K Kennedy 0-1.

Referee Pat Casey (Waterford)

Bord Gáis Energy Quick Response Code Technology

Bord Gáis Energy will be employing Quick Response (QR) code technology for the first time in a under 21 hurling match programme in an effort to deepen it’s engagement with fans by giving them access to interactive and exclusive content via their Smartphone’s.

With the proliferation of Smartphone’s and in-keeping with its aim of bringing new and innovative elements to this year’s championship, Bord Gáis Energy felt that this was the ideal time to use QR code technology to bring a whole new dimension to GAA match programmes and make the GAA the first sport in Ireland to try this innovation.

Fans who scan the code will be given the opportunity to interact directly with the extremely popular Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U21 All Ireland Championship Facebook and Twitter accounts via their Smartphone’s as well as being given the opportunity to view exclusive content such as photos and videos.

Instant win prizes will also be on offer for the first 5 fans that scan the code and all users who scan the code will be entered in to a draw for EUR500 worth of training gear for their club plus a training session with one of our ambassadors.