No quarter given as Cork draw Decies

CHAMPIONS Cork got the tougher draw in the Guinness All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals when they were paired with Waterford.

In contrast, Leinster champions Kilkenny gained what would be regarded as an easier draw against Limerick in what will be the first championship encounter between the counties since the 1974 All-Ireland final.

The other quarter-finals will see Wexford tackling Clare and Tipperary taking on Galway.

For Waterford, unexpectedly beaten by Clare yesterday, the draw was always going to be difficult. But, they avoided Kilkenny, their bogey team in Croke Park in their All-Ireland semi-final clashes last year and again in 1998.

Their game with Cork, expected to be played the weekend after next, will be their fifth in four seasons. Cork won by two points on May 22 this year, the previous two Munster finals were shared and Waterford triumphed in the 2002 semi-final.

A worry for Cork manager John Allen is the injury to Wayne Sherlock, sustained on club duty for Blackrock in county championship action last night. He and panellist John Browne failed to finish the four point victory over CIT.

Tipperary and Galway will be renewing rivalry after two years. Their last meeting was in the second round of the 2003 qualifier competition, when Tipperary won by a point, 1-18 to 1-17.

Wexford and Clare are no strangers either, having met in the qualifier competition the year before.

Clare won that game by eight points before going on to contest their last All-Ireland final, which they lost to Kilkenny.

The Games Administration Committee will meet this morning to confirm the dates and venues.

The expectation is that the Cork/Waterford and Tipperary/Galway games will be played on July 24, with the other two quarter-finals the following week with Croke Park the venue on both Sundays.

However, the replay of the Ulster football final, likely to be played in Croke Park on Saturday week, could complicate matters.