Cork U-21s outscore Kerry rivals by 22 points

Cork 2-24 Kerry 0-8

Cork claimed their second Cadbury Munster U-21 Football Championship title in three years thanks to an impressive 22-point win over Kerry tonight.

The young Rebels were rarely troubled in this Páirc Uí Rinn clash. Early goals from Barry O'Driscoll and Donal Og Hodnett set them on their way.

Cork led from start to finish, with senior forward Ciaran Sheehan opening the scoring after just a minute.

O'Driscoll and Hodnett scored their goals in the sixth and seventh minutes respectively to ensure a 2-2 to 0-0 lead, and Kerry seemed to have no answer.

James O'Donoghue landed Kerry's first point a minute later, but Cork continued to put the squeeze on the Kingdom's overworked defence.

Micheal Ó Laoire, Hodnett, Sheehan and O'Driscoll were among the Cork scorers as they built a 2-13 to 0-3 half-time advantage.

Sheehan and Mark Collins added early points on the restart as Kerry struggled to stay in the game.

Daithi Casey, Kieran Hurley and O'Donoghue added some much-required scores for Kerry, but Cork always had that extra edge.

The Kingdom youngsters could only manage one point in the final quarter, with the visitors' woes summed up by a penalty miss from corner-forward Paul Geaney in injury-time.

This buoyant Cork side will face Connacht champions Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final on Saturday, April 16.