Cork’s Patrick Cronin fit to face Tipperary in hurling semi

SEÁN MORAN Cork captain Patrick Cronin has recovered from injury to take his place in Sunday's GAA All-Ireland hurling semi-final against Tipperary, as both counties name unchanged teams. Whereas the news is good for Cronin, Tipperary corner back Michael Cahill, recovering from a knee injury in recent weeks, has not been included in the starting line-up for the first championship meeting between the counties in Croke Park.

Cronin has been involved in a race against time for fitness after picking up the injury - a hairline fracture of the fibula - in training unknown to himself before the Munster final and exacerbating it into a stress fracture during the match against Limerick.

Despite uncertainty last week about the prospects of his recovery the Bishopstown player was last night green lighted for his third successive All-Ireland semi-final.

Cork are easily the more experienced at this level having contested two semi-finals and last year’s replayed final over the past two years during which time Tipperary have featured in only one semi-final, the disastrous and controversial defeat by Kilkenny in 2012.

This is the fourth match running for which manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy has been able to name an unchanged team.

Tipperary manager Eamon O’Shea hasn’t named replacements so it’s not clear whether Michael Cahill is fit to take his place on the bench although indications from the county last night were that he would, having missed the quarter-final defeat of Dublin in Thurles last month.

Interestingly Tipperary start only six of the players who lined out against Kilkenny two years ago whereas Cork start seven of the team that was named for their semi-final the same year against Galway.

Since the hurling championship moved from the old strictly sudden-death format Tipperary have been in nine All-Ireland semi-finals and won five. Over the same period Cork have contested 10 and won six. Of the four lost by Cork just one - 2000 against Offaly - was as Munster champions. Of Tipp’s four semi-finals, coming through as qualifiers, they have won two, beating Leinster champions Wexford in 1997 and Munster champions Waterford in 2010. They have lost twice in the same circumstances, on both occasions to Kilkenny in 2002 and ‘03.

This is the first time in 10 years that the counties are playing in a championship venue outside of Thurles and Cork. That was the 2004 All-Ireland qualifier, won by Cork who went on to capture the Liam MacCarthy Cup that year, played in Fitzgerald Stadium Killarney. Just one player, who featured that day is named for Sunday Tipperary’s former Hurler of the Year Lar Corbett.

The counties are locked together on 37 wins each out 82 championship matches. Seven of the others were drawn and the remaining one, in 1926, abandoned. CORK (SHC v Tipperary): Anthony Nash; Shane O'Neill, Damien Cahalane, Stephen McDonnell; Chris Joyce, Mark Ellis, Lorcán McLoughlin; Daniel Kearney, Aidan Walsh; Conor Lehane, Bill Cooper, Séamus Harnedy; Alan Cadogan, Patrick Cronin (capt.), Patrick Horgan. Subs: Darren McCarthy, Conor O'Sullivan, Killian Burke, Willian Egan, Eoin Cadogan, Brian Lawton, Jamie Coughlan, Stephen Moylan, Cian McCarthy, Rob O'Shea, Paudie O'Sullivan. TIPPERARY: Darren Gleeson; Cathal Barrett, Paudie Maher, Paddy Stapleton; Brendan Maher (capt.), James Barry, Kieran Bergin; Shane McGrath, James Woodlock; Gearóid Ryan, Patrick Maher, John O'Dwyer; Noel McGrath, Séamus Callanan, Lar Corbett. Subs: To be announced.