IT MAY have taken a late quality point from full-forward Keith Hogan to save UCD’s bacon in this thrilling Fitzgibbon Cup game at WIT’s Carriganore venue yesterday, but it was well deserved on a day hurling itself was the real winner.

HONOURS even in Semple Stadium yesterday, with 6,665 people on hand for this entertaining draw in the NHL Division One.

If you’re an absolutely diehard Limerick hurling supporter, one of the dwindling few who were at the Gaelic Grounds yesterday for this NHL round four match, or if you were a Limerick county board official, or a member of the under-pressure management team, you could take the view that this defeat is actually a two-point improvement on the result of last August’s 24-point All-Ireland semi-final hammering by the same opposition, and you could suggest that Limerick hurling is still heading in the right direction.

ONE-WAY traffic in this, the last of the four Tipperary senior hurling quarter-finals played in Semple Stadium at the weekend, as champions Toomevara continued their well-timed run towards retaining their title.

Toomevara 0-17 Loughmore-Castleiney 0-13

Clonoulty-Rossmore 0-17 Thurles Sarsfields 1-14

Thurles CBS 1-10 Cashel CS 1-4