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Allianz HL D1A: Cork deliver at the Gaelic Grounds

Patrick Horgan, Cork, and Tom Condon, Limerick, in Allianz Hurling League action at the Gaelic Grounds.

Patrick Horgan, Cork, and Tom Condon, Limerick, in Allianz Hurling League action at the Gaelic Grounds.

Allianz Hurling League Division 1A

CORK 2-21 LIMERICK 1-21

By Daragh Small at the Gaelic Grounds

Reigning All-Ireland champions Limerick finally lost as Pat Horgan scored 1-9 for Cork in the Allianz Hurling League at the Gaelic Grounds.

John Kiely’s men were top of the Division 1A standings with a perfect record after the opening three rounds, but they couldn’t secure their fifth win-in-a-row against Cork here.

Cork were 1-13 to 1-7 ahead at half-time with Peter Casey on target for Limerick. But Conor Lehane’s second half goal was crucial as Cork survived a late comeback.

Cork captain Seamus Harnedy won the toss and he chose to play with a slight breeze in his side’s favour in the first half.

Cork started well and they were 0-3 to 0-0 ahead after four minutes. Their first point arrived through Aidan Walsh down the right wing, after only 35 seconds.

Horgan and Daniel Kearney added further points before Seamus Flanagan scored Limerick’s first in the sixth minute.

Shane Dowling uncharacteristically shot wide from a free and a 65, and Horgan punished those misses emphatically.

The Glen Rovers clubman popped over a second free before he finished to the net in the ninth minute. Horgan collected Christopher Joyce’s long ball into the danger area and flicked past the onrushing Nickie Quaid.

Limerick were reeling while they trailed by 1-4 to 0-1. Dowling hit back but Harnedy and Bill Cooper cancelled that out.

Dowling scored again in the 16th minute but Cork answered that with three points in a row. This time Harnedy and Dan Dooley found their range along with a massive free from centre-back Tim O’Mahony.

When Pat Ryan missed in the 18th minute Limerick had already registered seven wides, and Dowling’s third point was a welcome reprieve.

Horgan scored his third free to extend the gap to 1-10 to 0-4 but then Limerick found a badly needed goal in the 26th minute.

Ryan drove for the Cork goal and when the defenders closed in he put Casey away, who finished low to Patrick Collins’ bottom corner.

Horgan hit right back but the momentum was behind the home team and two quick-fire points from Diarmaid Byrnes and Gearoid Hegarty reduced the arrears to 1-11 to 1-6.

Cork needed to gain a strangehold again, and the dependable Horgan had the answer with two more frees. Byrnes scored a long range free and Cork could have doubled their goals tally only for Lehane to flash a shot wide.

Limerick should have had the last score of the half but wides from Dowling and Hegarty meant they trailed 1-13 to 1-7 at the interval.

Limerick made the ideal start to the second half with points from Casey, Dowling (free), Byrnes (free) and Flanagan.

Dan Dooley’s second stemmed the flow and Lehane rattled the Limerick net in the 45th minute after he raced through the heart of the defence. Lehane almost scored a second goal four minutes but his shot came back off the post.

Casey and Dowling (two) brought Limerick back within touching distance, and Cork began to fire wides too.

Limerick scored six points in a row with Byrnes levelling it in the 66th minute. But Cork finished well and a couple of Cormac Murphy scores sealed the win.

Scorers for Cork: Pat Horgan 1-9 (9fs), Conor Lehane 1-1, Dan Dooley 0-2, Seamus Harnedy 0-2, Cormac Murphy 0-2, Daniel Kearney 0-2, Tim O’Mahony 0-1 (f), Bill Cooper 0-1, Aidan Walsh 0-1.

Scorers for Limerick: Shane Dowling 0-6 (3fs), Peter Casey 1-3, Diarmaid Byrnes 0-6 (4fs, 1 ‘65), Seamus Flanagan 0-2, Gearoid Hegarty 0-1, Tom Morrissey 0-1, Cian Lynch 0-1, Graeme Mulcahy 0-1.

CORK: Patrick Collins; Seán O’Donoghue, Eoin Cadogan, Stephen McDonnell; Christopher Joyce, Tim O’Mahony, Robert Downey; Cormac Murphy, Bill Cooper; Daniel Kearney, Seamus Harnedy, Dan Dooley; Conor Lehane, Aidan Walsh, Patrick Horgan.

Subs: Jack O’Connor for Dan Dooley (60), Conor Cahalane for Robert Downey (65).

LIMERICK: Nicky Quaid; Tom Condon, Sean Finn, Richie English; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Mikey O’Brien; Cian Lynch, Darragh O’Donovan; Gearoid Hegarty, Shane Dowling, Tom Morrissey; Peter Casey, Seamus Flanagan, Pat Ryan.

Subs: Graeme Mulcahy for Pat Ryan (48), Barry Murphy for Seamus Flanagan (56), Kyle Hayes for Tom Morrissey (67), Barry Nash for Mikey O’Brien (69).

REFEREE: Patrick Murphy (Carlow).