Alan Cadogan gives a masterclass during Douglas victory

Douglas 2-18 Na Piarsaigh 1-18: An outstanding contest, highlighted by the skill and class of Alan Cadogan, presented a much more positive image of Cork hurling after the flop in Semple Stadium the previous Sunday and fittingly Douglas were the winners in this first-round game in Páirc Uí Rinn yesterday.

They had the confidence and specifically the ability to recover from a slow start and had the consistency to survive a challenge from Na Piarsaigh that was only weakened by some poor finishing.

It delighted winning manager Willie Coveney who commented that they could look forward to another two games, winning was ‘even more important’ because of the boost it has given the squad. “The win is vital and the way we did it, the fight (we showed). Obviously we would have preferred a better start.