Powerful WIT set up UCC showdown

WATERFORD IT, seven times Fitzgibbon Cup champions, are through to the semi-finals after a power-packed display that overwhelmed their opponents at Ballygunner yesterday.

A meeting with UCC awaits them next weekend, but on this evidence they will take a lot of beating.

“We have every reason to be well pleased with our overall display”, WIT manager Colm Bonner said. “The lads played assured hurling throughout and picked off some marvellous scores. It was good, very good, to watch”.

The former Tipperary All Star said UCC will be a different kettle of fish, but having lost to them three times already in recent months they’ll be all out for revenge when it matters most. “Let’s bring it on”, he said.

With Kilkenny panellist John Dalton turning in a man-of-the-match display at full back, and his county colleagues TJ and Eoin Reid at their potent best in attack, Waterford IT laid the foundations in the opening half.

They raced into a three-point lead inside four minutes with TJ Reid bagging a brace and Shane O’Sullivan the third before Fintan O’Leary and Ray McLoughney combined to set up Eoin Reid for the winners’ first goal on nine minutes.

The Dubs had to wait until the quarter hour to get off the mark from a Michael Burke point.

However, Waterford had their second goal in the 22nd minute, Eoin Reid again the scorer with brother TJ providing him with the inch perfect pass, and DIT faced a mammoth task trailing by 2-9 to 0-4 at the interval.

But they laid siege to the Waterford goal with outstanding defenders Trevor Corcoran, Eoghan Nolan, and Stephen Kelly driving them on.

However several bad wides, and the loss of Nolan through injury, didn’t help their cause, and the game was all over as a meaningful contest in the 43rd minute when TJ Reid soloed through for his second goal.

Dublin’s lone goal eventually came from Paul Ryan’s 20-metre free in the 52nd minute.

Scorers: WIT: E. Reid (2-2); R. McLoughney (0-8); T. J. Reid (1-2); S. O’Sullivan, F. O’Leary, R. Good (0-1) each. DIT; P. Ryan (1-0); B. McInerney (0-2); B. Burke (0-2); E. Nolan, P. Kelly, W. O’Dwyer (0-1) each.

WATERFORD IT: A. Power (Waterford); K. Lanigan (Tipperary). J. Dalton (Kilkenny). C. Cooney (Clare); S. Fives (Waterford). P. Hartley (Kilkenny). K. Moran (Waterford); S. Lillis (Tipperary). P. Kelly (Clare); F. O’Leary (Cork). T. J. Reid (Kilkenny). R. Good (Cork); R. McLoughney (Tipperary). E. Reid (Kilkenny). S. O’Sullivan (Waterford)

Subs: S. Kelly (Cork) for Good; M. Gorman (Waterford) for Lillis; C. Gahan (Wexford) for P. Kelly; J. O’Farrell (Waterford) for TJ Reid; J. Doran (Carlow) for Fives.

DUBLIN IT: K. Brennan (Kilkenny); P. Schutte (Dublin). T. Corcoran (Offaly). M. O’Sullivan (Dublin); E. Nolan (Carlow). D. Kennedy (Tipperary). S. Kelly (Wicklow); S. Howley (Galway). P. Nolan (Carlow); M. Burke (Meath). W. O’Dwyer (Kilkenny). P. Kelly (Dublin); P. Ryan (Dublin). B. McInerney (Dublin). D. O’Dwyer (Dublin)

Subs: F. Cullen (Wexford) for Kennedy; P. Lynch (Clare) for McInerney; S. Burke (Laois) for D. O’Dwyer; E. Clarke (Westmeath) for E. Nolan.

Referee: Dickie Murphy, Wexford.