Tipp step on the gas in extra-time

AFTER an enthralling 90-minute saga, Tipperary eventually edged past Cork in last night’s Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21HC quarter-final at Semple Stadium.

In a match that crackled with electricity throughout, Tipperary conjured up two key factors to enable them to breast the tape in first place. Plundering the only two goals of the game was of immeasurable value, while their big names came to the fore as the action trundled into extra-time.

Defensive lynchpins Padraig Maher and Thomas Stapleton generated storming finishes, while Noel McGrath hurled a world of ball when switched to midfield. In attack, Seamus Callanan made several lung-bursting runs deep into the Cork defence, while Pa Bourke’s gilded attacking play registered a hefty 1-9 total against the backdrop of a team total of 17 wides.