A special welcome as Deane returns to the fray for Cork

Cork 2-10 CIT 1-11

Cork gained a semi-final place in the Waterford Crystal Cup primarily as a result of greater scoring power and the tried and trusted Neil Ronan made a significant contribution with eight points.

The value of the game, Cork selector and team spokesman Martin Bowen agreed, was in giving some of the newer players an outing in the absence of a number of regulars who were unavailable. Castletownroche’s Jonathan O’Callaghan would not fit into this category (having shown promise in the 2004 season until he ran into injury problems), but he was another to show up well.