Champions ahead at the break in Croke Park

Half-time: Cork 1-09 Galway 0-10

Champions Cork hold a two-point lead at half-time in today’s 117th Guinness All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final, which is being watched by a sell-out 82,300 Croke Park crowd.

Four Cork forwards – Ben O’Connor, Brian Corcoran, Niall and Timmy McCarthy – as well as impressive midfielder Tom Kenny, had found their scoring range inside the opening 11 minutes as the Rebels roared out of the traps early on.

Cork’s midfield was lauding it in the early skirmishes as emphasised by Kenny’s second point for a 0-06 to 0-03 lead.

On 16 minutes, last year’s winning captain Ben O’Connor netted what could prove to be a crucial Cork goal.

A long clearance off the hurley of Diarmuid O’Sullivan, who was out well in front of Niall Healy, was dithered on by the Galway rearguard and O’Connor latched onto it, in plenty of space, to race through and fire past goalkeeper Liam Donoghue.

Alan Kerins was denied an immediate response at the other end only seconds later as Cork net-minder Donal Óg Cusack batted his waist-high shot away.

A six-point lead was as good as it got for John Allen’s Rebels as gradually the championship’s top scorer Ger Farragher came into his own.

The Castlegar forward tallied up six points – five from frees – by the half’s end, by which time Galway had hit the closing three points through David Tierney, Fergal Healy and Farragher to keep the underdogs well in touch.

Scorers: Cork: B O’Connor 1-03 (2f), T Kenny 0-02, J Deane (1f), B Corcoran, N McCarthy, T McCarthy 0-01 each.

Galway: G Farragher 0-06 (5f), A Kerins, N Healy, D Tierney, F Healy 0-01 each.

CORK: D Óg Cusack; B Murphy, D O'Sullivan, P Mulcahy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Óg Ó hAilpin (Capt); J O'Connor, T Kenny; K Murphy, N McCarthy, T McCarthy; B O'Connor, B Corcoran, J Deane.

GALWAY: L Donoghue (Capt); D Joyce, T Óg Regan, O Canning; D Hardiman, S Kavanagh, D Collins; F Healy, D Tierney; R Murray, D Forde, A Kerins; G Farragher, N Healy, D Hayes.

Booked: Cork: D O’Sullivan (19 mins)

Referee: S Roche (Tipperary)