Eamonn Cregan called on eight members of the Limerick under-21 team which won the All-Ireland title last month and all performed with distinction in a four-point win over Cork at a wet Gaelic Grounds yesterday.
His opposite number, Jimmy Barry-Murphy, fielded six of the side which won the Munster senior hurling championship title.
Mick O'Connell got the visitors off to a bright start, but Limerick soon found their rhythm and were 0-5 to 0-3 ahead after 20 minutes when Dave Stapleton, the outstanding player on view, got on the end of a sideline ball from John Meskell to beat goalkeeper Bernard Rochford for the game's only goal.
Niall Ronan and Austin Walsh kept Cork in touch, and at the break Limerick led by only two points, 1-4 to 0-5.
Stapleton extended Limerick's advantage three minutes into the second half but Cork then moved Diarmuid O'Sullivan from centre back to centre forward and he posed problems for TJ Ryan and Paul Reale.
John Meskell and James Moran gave Limerick a 1-12 to 09 lead after 52 minutes, but Niall Ronan and O'Sullivan cut the deficit to four and were it not for a timely interception by Paul Reale in 68 minutes, O'Sullivan might well have goaled for the visitors.
LIMERICK: T Houlihan; D Reale, TJ Ryan, P Reale; P Lawlor, Dave Ryan, W Walsh; C Smith, E Stapleton; J Moran (0-3), P Cahill, J Meskell (0-5); K Tobin (0-2), D Stapleton (1-3), D Anderson. Subs: JP Healy for Walsh; Derek Ryan for Dave Ryan; J Foley for D Reale; J O'Shea for Anderson; D Sheehan for Tobin.
CORK: B Rochford; P Sexton, K Cronin, W Toomey; W Sherlock, D O'Sullivan (0-1), J Browne; D Barrett, A Walsh (0-1); D O'Callaghan, M Landers, M O'Connell (0-3); E Fitzgerald (0-1), N Ronan (0-3), J Egan (0-1). Subs: A Coughlan (0-2) for Sherlock; E Collins for O'Callaghan.
Referee: J McDonnell (Tipperary.)
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