Cork delight Páirc Uí Rinn crowd

Cork 3-17 Waterford 0-18

Cork are the early leaders in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A after they had eight points to spare on Waterford at Páirc Uí Rinn this evening.

In front of a packed house of 7,356, it was a night when everything seemed to go right for manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy upon his return as the team, as a mix of old and new gelled well, especially in the second part of the first half.

The star performer was Conor Lehane, who had a game to remember. The Midleton teenager was excellent in his role at right half-forward, scoring seven fine points as well as helping to set up the second goal, when Cathal Naughton put Cork into a 2-8 to 0-5 lead in the 26th minute.

Prior to that, Paudie O’Sullivan had made it 1-6 to 0-3 following good work by Ben O’Connor and Patrick Cronin, Waterford going 18 minutes without a score after getting the game’s opening three points.

Cork were struggling in that early period as their play was littered with sloppiness, but once things clicked they did so in an emphatic fashion, as Cronin at centre-forward began to win puckouts and a crisp playing style yielded dividends.

A Patrick Horgan point and two by Lehane had the hosts level as the other two newcomers, centre-back Ross Cashman and Darren Sweetnam at midfield, began to make their presence felt too.

Three more points – including one sumptuous effort by Lehane when he controlled a Cronin pass despite being on his knees – followed before the goals, a pair of Padraic Mahony points for Waterford notwithstanding, and when the third came, as O’Sullivan won a deep free from goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack, it was 3-8 to 0-5.

Mahony and Martin O’Neill reduced the gap slightly before the break, and then Waterford repeated their first-half antics as they got the first three points of the second half.

That set the tone for the rest of it, but while Cork were not at the same level they had been in the first half, they were doing enough to ensure that the Déise were kept at arm’s length.

Lehane had the pick of the output again, two beauties from the left sideline, and while Mahony had some good frees for Waterford, not enough others were able to weigh in, while Cusack was never truly tested.

CORK: D Óg Cusack; S O’Neill, S McDonnell, B Murphy; J Gardiner, R Cashman, W Egan; S Óg Ó hAilpín (0-1), D Sweetnam (0-1); C Lehane (0-7), P Cronin (0-1), C Naughton (1-1); P Horgan (0-4, 0-1f), P O’Sullivan (2-1), B O’Connor (0-1).

Subs: T Kenny for Sweetnam (49), L McLoughlin for Gardiner (54), L O’Farrell for Naughton (64), B Corry for Lehane (68).

WATERFORD: I O’Regan; Philip Mahony, D Fives, S Daniels; J Nagle (0-1f), K Moran (0-1), D Prendergast; S Molumphy, P O’Brien (0-1); S Prendergast (0-1), M Walsh, Paudie Mahony (0-5, 0-3f) ; M O’Neill (0-4, 0-3f), S Walsh, S Casey (0-1).

Subs: E McGrath (0-1) for S Walsh (half-time), P Prendergast for D Prendergast, G O’Brien (0-2) for O’Neill (both 56), T Ryan (0-1) for Casey (62), D Twomey for S Prendergast (67).

Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).