Croke Park all set for Hurling Weekend Extravaganza:
It’s All-Ireland hurling semi-final weekend, with two intriguing ties lined up for Croke Park on Saturday and Sunday. Clare take on Kilkenny on Saturday (3.0), followed on Sunday by Limerick v Cork (4.0).
Will Cork end Limerick’s ambition to become the first county to win five successive titles? Will Clare reach the final for the first time since 2013 or will Kilkenny beat the Banner in a third successive semi-final?
CORK v LIMERICK
If this clash even comes close to reaching the heights of their Munster round robin game in SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh in May then there’s quite a treat in store. It produced a total of 6-54 with Cork edging to victory by two points (3-28 to 3-26).
Cork and Limerick last met in Croke Park in 2021 when John Kiely’s men won the All-Ireland final by 13 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP TO DATE
CORK
Waterford 2-25 Cork 1-25 (Munster round robin)
Clare 3-26 Cork 3-24 (Munster round robin)
Cork 3-28 Limerick 3-26 (Munster round robin)
Cork 4-30 Tipperary 1-21 (Munster round robin)
Cork 4-25 Offaly 3-19 (All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final)
Cork 0-26 Dublin 0-21 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
Won 4, Lost 2.
TOP SCORERS
P Horgan……4-57 (1-43 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-4 ‘65s’)
A Connolly…..4-9 (0-2 frees)
D Fitzgibbon…0-19
S Barrett………2-13
D Dalton……….0-17 (0-9 frees).
LIMERICK
Limerick 3-15 Clare 1-18
Limerick 2-27 Tipperary 0-18
Cork 3-28 Limerick 3-26
Limerick 0-30 Waterford 2-14
Limerick 1-26 Clare 1-20 (Munster final)
Won 4, Lost 1.
TOP SCORERS
A Gillane……..2-32 (0-30 frees)
G Hegarty…….1-11
D Byrnes……….1-11(1-8 frees)
T Morrissey…..0-13 (0-1 free)
S Flanagan…….3-3.