UCD fail to worry Waterford

As with its football counterpart the Sigerson, this year's Bus Eireann Fitzgibbon Cup concluded with a disappointing final. Unlike last weekend's wallow in the Moycullen mud, yesterday's match at Walsh Park, Waterford, didn't even have the virtue of being evenly contested. In the end Waterford IT, the hosts, were decisive winners for the second successive year.

Despite a competitive opening 20 minutes, UCD's challenge appeared to disintegrate with the concession of a 25th-minute goal and even an early goal in the second half failed to rouse the Dublin side in a tedious second half - scoreless for the final 21 minutes - during which the Waterford defence played immaculately to stifle any suggestion of a revival.

On Saturday the champions had routinely gutted the unfortunate semi-final debutants Limerick IT who froze on the big stage at Mount Sion's grounds in Waterford city.

It took the hosts' forward Henry Shefflin from Kilkenny 27 seconds to land his first point, from a free, and at the turn of the first quarter WIT led 3-4 to 0-1 and could relax thereafter into some shooting practice which yielded 4-20 by the end.

The weekend was redeemed by a glorious second semi-final between UCC and UCD at the De La Salle club. Free-scoring and fluid, the match was level on nine occasions as the momentum seemed to tilt one way and then another. Underwriting the teams' respective scoring threats was the meticulous dead-ball striking of UCC's captain Johnny Enright and his UCD counterpart (and fellow Tipperaryman) Paddy O'Brien.

Enright is an old hand at this and was playing in his fifth Fitzgibbon, having been top scorer in three of the last four finals. His 10 points nearly all came from frees and made fouling an expensive indulgence.

O'Brien added to his six frees a galvanic goal in injury-time at the end of the first half. Seizing the ball from Michael Gordon at a stage when UCC had repelled a number of assaults on their goal, O'Brien raced in from the right and struck home a beauty. He would have had another in the 46th minute but for a great block by his namesake John in the UCC goal.

As the teams went to the wire with the lead changing hands, O'Brien hit the winning point from a free in the last minute.

The winners of the second semi-final should have brought more momentum to the final given the greater sense of achievement. For a while yesterday this looked as if it might the case. By the eighth minute UCD led by 0-3 to 0-1.

There were, however, a couple of problems looming. For a start the pitch was dead. Unlike on the Saturday when the forwards had something to work on, the surface was heavy and made for defenders. Despite this the elusive UCD corner forwards Brendan Murphy and Michael Gordon started well but the effect wasn't to last.

Of course the conditions were the same for both sides and with UCD full back Stephen Lucey again excellent, WIT's forwards didn't have things all their own way. Michael Bevans found his three-goal haul fom the semi-final much reduced whereas Declan Browne was anonymous enough apart from a spectacular goal at the end of the first half which ended with his team leading 2-8 to 0-5.

Waterford's stars were more in the engine room. Eamonn Corcoran had the distinction of retaining his Hurler of the Tournament accolade from last year. His display at the centre of a formidable defence was outstanding and did much to defuse - and eventually demoralise - the UCD attack. He also rifled over a free from close on 100 metres.

At centrefield, John O'Neill showed some excellent touches and Willie Maher worked hard to subdue the ferocious Sean O'Neill whose driven display was a feature of UCD's semi-final success but who was unable to duplicate that form yesterday.

Once again Andy Moloney's sheer industry around the middle was again instrumental in the side's success and he earned the distinction of becoming the first man since Miko Doyle over 50 years ago to captain successive Fitzgibbon champions.

In many ways the Fitzgibbon suits Henry Shefflin better than any other serious competition. On soft pitches his comparative lack of pace doesn't really matter and the rest of his formidable weaponry is just as effective. It was he who got the touch to Corcoran's free in the 25th minute for the goal which unplugged the match.

As well as that and his five frees, the Kilkenny forward showed an array of lovely touches and flicks which very nearly added to WIT's winning margin. He might have added to his own score but mis-hit a 49th-minute penalty when going for goal.

In the second half, Michael Gordon's first-timed goal from a clearance by David Hegarty might have kick-started a comeback but such was the excellence of Waterford's defence that this never looked likely.