Munster hurling final blasts into technicolor

Two points, the breadth of a couple of mistakes. Two points, the size of a pair of genius moments. When the dust settled at Pairc Ui Chaoimh yesterday, how you assessed the winning margin depended on where you sat and what colours mingled into the sweat which ran from your brow. Tipperary and Limerick: not one of the most storied rivalries in the great book of hurling but compelling nonetheless. Guaranteed. There wasn't a better sporting event anywhere this weekend. The sun shone, indeed it did more than that and two teams under construction set about each others reputation. It was clean, it was hard, it was surprising and it was some kind of wonderful. Tipp, a little further along the path of perestroika and with the benefit of a race memory that expects success, but the hindrance of a populace which demands it, were the raging favourites. Talk before the game was careless among the supporters. Tipp were looking at a favourable spread of six or seven points according to some sources. When the hurling started, though, all bets were cancelled. The teams scored five points between them in the opening five minutes. Then the pace picked up. Performances which were huge. Ciaran Carey and Mark Foley grew into the game until they were giants of the second half. Brian O'Meara tormented Limerick all afternoon.. The goalkeepers, one, Brendan Cummins, all hustle and bustle, the other, Timmy Houlihan, all shaved-head cool, were a show in themselves. In the end Tipp prevailed; 43,500 exhaled again. After last season's grey, hurling is back in technicolor. In the Limerick dressing-room hard truths had a literal edge. "Tipp won the game," said Eamon Cregan, who sees the good side of defeat the way most people see the good side of tumours. "It's as simple as that. We have to improve. We have to take our scores. And he removed his baseball cap and wiped the sweat. "How long do we have? Four weeks is it?" Four weeks indeed, before they come to Croke Park for a quarter- final engagement. Limerick have improved in quantum leaps all summer. Who knows what sort of tricks they will bring. "We've made fantastic progress,' said Cregan. "That's the positive side. Who would have expected that we'd be here? But maybe that's negative too. We beat Cork, beat Waterford, two 1 points off today and people say, ah yeah you're great. We know, the lads know. We had the chances and we didn't take them. We had the ball, we were put under pressure we put it wide. Simple. "We have to get into a situation where we score under pressure. We have gone to a certain level. Now we have to go to the next level, than we can score more. We'll see how it goes for next few weeks."

As for Tipperary, they are deservedly back at the top table. The back door system hasn't taken from the lustre of winning a Munster title and the sheer joy which lapped out of their dressing-room I had to be seen. This was an epic they won yesterday, a thing of beauty and passion where they visibly grew, learning to prevail in precisely the sort of crucible where they have failed before. Some young men were lost and pulled through by the elders, some stood up and stretched their name across the southern sky. Tipp's defence was heroic, hustling and bustling Limerick into mistakes which sucked the value out of their possession. "We did things out there today," said Nicky English, "which we haven't been doing. Things that come down to heart and hunger and experience." Weeks left. The championship rises and dies so quickly. Limerick have another month in which to find the resolve to go on. Tipp have that resolve. It was a wonderful Munster final which bestowed lots of good things on the hurling season. The old game is kicking yet. Meanwhile, in last night's draw for the third round of the AIl-Ireland football qualifiers, the top attraction will be the meeting of Galway and Armagh, followed by the meeting of Sligo and Kildare. Laois will face Derry and Westmeath take on Louth.