WATERFORD boss John Owens heaped praise on his understrength team after stunning Tipperary in this McGrath Cup quarter-final at Walsh Park yesterday.

A POWERFUL second-half display from Tipperary against University of Limerick yesterday saw the Premier County book a McGrath Cup quarter-final date with Waterford next Sunday.

Erin’s Own 0-16 Na Piarsaigh 0-13

A GOAL by Luke Connolly five minutes from time earned Coláiste Chríost Rí a deserved draw in a highly entertaining Corn Uí Mhuirí first round tie at Cloughduv yesterday.

TWICE previously, five in-a-row proved elusive in the All-Ireland football championship; for Wexford in the 1918 decider and Kerry in the 1933 semi-final.

IT mattered little to the Tipperary management that they secured their first victory in the National Football League yesterday in Semple Stadium by beating a Meath side which performed well below the standard normally expected from the Royals.

THE Kerry management are confident of having their goal-keeping position resolved before the end of the Allianz NFL, with coach Jack O’Connor indicating after yesterday’s game in Fitzgerald Stadium that they are unlikely to “spread the net” beyond the three players who have filled the position so far in the McGrath Cup following Diarmuid Murphy’s retirement.

MICHAEL SHIELDS continues at full-back, with Ray Carey and Anthony Lynch holding down the corner-back positions as Cork announce the same starting side that defeated Armagh in their final group qualifying game for Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division Two final against Monaghan at Croke Park.

GER REIDY of Castleisland Desmonds and Aidan O’Shea from the Glenbeigh-Glencarr club are the two new faces on the Kerry team to play Donegal in the opening round of the Allianz NFL at Austin Park, Tralee tomorrow.

THE good times roll on for De La Salle. The Waterford and Munster senior champions collected the county U21 HC title at Fraher Field, Dungarvan, yesterday.

JAMES O’BRIEN scored the vital goal with less than three minutes remaining to give Ard Scoil Rís victory in an enthralling Dr Harty Cup (Munster Colleges SHC) tie at Tipperary Town yesterday.

CROMANE’s Donncha Walsh makes his championship debut for Kerry in Sunday’s Munster SFC final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, one of four changes for the All-Ireland champions from the side that eased past Clare in the provincial semi final.

ABBEYSIDE secured passage to the Waterford SHC quarter-finals with this emphatic group stage victory over a depleted Passage East at Walsh Park on Saturday.

IN ordinary circumstances the result of this Waterford SHC game at Walsh Park yesterday would have been all the talk.

THERE’S no place for last year’s captain, Pat Mulcahy, after the Cork hurling selectors yesterday trimmed the panel to 30 players.

Cork 0-16, Waterford 2-9

Cork 2-10 CIT 1-11

Ballinora 0-10 Mayfield 0-10

CARBERY reversed last year’s result at the same stage of the championship with a comfortable victory over Imokilly in the opening round of the Evening Echo SFC at Ballygarvan last night.

THEIR winning margin was just a point less than the lead they enjoyed after five minutes, but Erin’s Own were never pushed in this Evening Echo Cork SHC clash at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday.

A finely-tuned Tipperary side had little difficulty in disposing of Limerick in the ESB Munster MHC semi-final at Semple Stadium last night and set up a final meting with Cork on the last Sunday in June.

Tipperary 2-13 Clare 1-8

Louth 4-11 Waterford 0-5

Tipperary 1-11 Waterford 1-6

Cork 1-8 Tipperary 0-5

Ballyduff Upper 1-15 Passage East 0-8

Galway 1-19 Cork 1-13

THE struggle between club and county continues in Antrim. With the county U21 hurlers due to play Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final in Navan on Saturday, several clubs are reluctant to release their players because of county championship matches the following day.

Tipperary 0-15 Roscommon 0-11

Ballylanders 0-9 Monaleen 0-7