Cork 0-17 Waterford 1-8: Cork produced a stirring second-half display to qualify for the Munster Under-21 Hurling championship final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last night. They trailed by two points at the break, but a series of positional switches worked a treat as Waterford were restricted to just two scores after the interval.
The Cork management re-jigged the half-back line and altered midfield just before the break. Senior star John Gardiner reverted to centre back and he marshalled a superb line of defence, with senior panellist Cian O'Connor improving at left-half back and Kevin Hartnett solid on the other flank.
This trio kept tabs on a Waterford half-forward line which had caused problems in the first half, with John Wall prominent on the right. In midfield Michael Naughton joined up with Michael Prout at midfield for Cork, and thereafter they dominated.
The scores duly followed as Cork hit six unanswered points in the opening seven minutes of the second half, with Naughton claiming the best with a long-range effort. A Gardiner free made it 0-13 to 1-7 before Wayne Hutchinson at last raised a Waterford flag with a well-taken point after 40 minutes.
Liam Lawlor added another Waterford point five minutes later but it was their last score and they even had a penalty from Wall stopped on the line by the alert O'Connor six minutes from the end.
Cork finished strongly, with points from Gardiner and Michael Cussan in injury-time underlining their superiority in the half.
Waterford led by 1-6 to 0-7 at the end of a lively first-half during which the sides were level three times. The goal came after 19 minutes, when Wall scored with a powerfully struck low shot from a 20-metre free in a central position to open up a 1-5 to 0-4 lead.
Cork stayed in touch thanks to the accuracy of Kieran Murphy's free-taking, including a close-range effort after Waterford goalkeeper Ian O'Regan was adjudged to have picked the ball off the ground just outside the small square.
Wall's influence on the game was reflected in the substitution of Ronan McGregor just before half-time as Cork re-arranged their half-back line and midfield, the move which turned the contest their way.
CORK: M Coleman; J O'Mahony, S Murphy, K Goggan; M Prout, C O'Connor, R McGregor; J Gardiner (0-3, 2 frees), K Hartnett; M Naughton (0-1), K Murphy (Sarsfields), captain (0-7 frees), K Murphy (Erin's Own); B Barry (0-1), M Cussan (0-3), F Murphy (0-1). Subs: D O'Riordan (0-1) for McGregor (28 mins), D Dorris for Prout (45), J Bowles for Barry (59).
WATERFORD: I O'Regan; D Coffey, W Kiely, A Kearney; K Stafford, G Quinlan, M Mears; W Hutchinson (0-1), L Lawlor (0-2); J Wall (1-3, 1-2 frees), M Walsh (0-1), S O'Sullivan (0-1); P Kearney, J Hurney, P O'Brien, captain. Subs: L O'Neill for Kearney (42 mins), S Walsh for Hurney (45), E Walsh for Kiely (inj 50).
Referee: D O'Driscoll (Limerick)
