Galway through to minor final

Joe Canning's bid to become the first Galway player to win three All-Ireland minor hurling titles is still alive after he helped his side to a tight semi-final win.

ALL-IRELAND MHC SEMI-FINAL:

Cork 0-16 Galway 2-12, Croke Park

Joe Canning's bid to become the first Galway player to win three All-Ireland minor hurling titles is still alive after he helped his side to a 2-12 to 0-16 win over Cork in today's MHC semi-final at Croke Park.

The Portumna ace grabbed a fifth-minute goal to send his side on the way to a 1-8 to 0-7 half-time lead.

A series of frees from team captain Patrick Horgan kept Cork in touch and moved them ahead for a time in the second half.

Lee Desmond was also on target for the Munster champions, but a 56th-minute goal from Sean Coen and an injury-time free from goalkeeper James Skehill saw the Tribesmen march on.

Talismanic skipper Canning was very much a marked man but he followed up two early frees with a fifth-minute goal when he beat Cork 'keeper Matthew Collins at the second attempt. Gort clubman Adrian Harte was also on target as Galway moved 1-3 to no score ahead.

But points from Horgan, Colm O'Neill, Paudie O'Sullivan and lively duo Dan O'Callaghan and Brian Corry played Cork back into contention.

Indeed the Rebels could and perhaps should have been in front at half-time as both full-forward O'Callaghan and centre-forward Corry saw goal chances go a-begging with Skehill alert to the danger.

Canning, the only survivor from last year's All-Ireland win apart from Skehill, tallied 1-5 in the first half and added three more points during a well-contested second period.

Canning and Harte combined to set up Coen for Galway's second goal. Wing-forward Robert White still had time to reduce the gap to the minimum for Cork but Skehill held his nerve to register the clinching free from distance.

Mattie Murphy's side will face the winners of the Tipperary v Kilkenny semi-final, which takes place next Sunday at Croke Park, in the decider on Sunday, September 3.