| Rivalries renewed for semis clashes
By David Thorpe
With the preliminary jousting over, the business-end of the hurling season
gets underway at the weekend when Wexford face Kilkenny and Waterford
clash with old foes Cork in the semi-finals of the National League.
Wexford were hugely impressive as they handed out a five-point hammering
to Galway at Nowlan Park but it will be a major test of the Yellowbellies
progress under John Meyler when they face All-Ireland Champions Kilkenny.
It was a vintage Wexford performance, harrying and hustling in defence
and with an impressive spread of scores throughout the team.
Even with their defence in fine form, Wexford still needed a string of
top-class saves from goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry to secure the win against
a Galway side who will now be without a competitive match for more than
three months.
The best thing that can be said of Waterford’s defeat of Tipperary
at the same venue on Sunday afternoon was that the tough game will surely
help the teams later in the year.
A poor first-half had little to recommend it, while the second period
saw Waterford pull away by adding a flurry of scores from John Mullane
to book a semi-final date with Cork.
So just as the summer sun takes its first hold, hurling’s brightest
stars come out to shine, with a double-header that is likely to separate
the contenders from the also-rans when the big prizes are handed out later
in the season.
n For full coverage of the National Hurling and Football Leagues see pages
62-63. |
