NHL Division One - Cork 1-20 Limerick 2-16:An injury time point from Neil Ronan clinched victory for the Cork hurlers over Limerick this afternoon and ensured incoming manager Denis Walsh will inherit a side coming off the back of two consecutive wins after the upheaval that led to the departure of his predecessor Gerald McCarthy.
Though the one point victory could easily have gone either way, Waslsh will be encouraged by this performance from players whose energies are clearly being positively channelled in the one direction now.
Limerick had a four point lead with 10 minutes remaining but the hosts fired four unanswered points to level the game and, after Wayne McNamara dropped his effort at a winner for Limerick short, substitute Ronan took his chance.
Limerick led at halftime, by 1-11 to 1-09, after Cork raced into an early lead, thanks to a second minute goal from Jerry O’Connor.
Niall Moran, however, pointed six before the break for the visitors and was instrumental in turning the tide back in their favour, along with Pat Tobin who hit the net in the 24th minute.
Cork levelled in the 50th minute through Tadhg Murphy but Donal O’Grady found the net again for Limerick and the game looked up for the Rebels.
Not so, however. Ben O’Connor pointed four times before Patrick Cronin and Murphy levelled. Ronan then landed the killer blow.
Dublin will need to beat Westmeath and hope for Donegal defeat to Derry next week if they are to be guaranteed first division football next season. Pat Gilroy’s side looked on track for a morale boosting win over Kerry at Parnell Park this afternoon but were pegged back by the Kingdom for a share of the points.
A win would have seen them move level with Donegal on five points and left them with better hopes of survival but they now need the northerners, who comfortably swept passed Westmeath today, to slip up.
Kerry remain top of the table after Kieran Donaghy’s late equalising point, two points ahead of Galway after they were beaten by one point by neighbours Mayo.
Allianz Football League Div 1
Galway 0-13 Mayo 1-11
Westmeath 1-07 Donegal 0-15
Dublin 1-15 Kerry1-15
Allianz Football League Div 2
Wexford 0-10 Laois 2-16
Monaghan 2-13 Cork 1-09
Fermanagh 1-08 Kildare 0-16
Armagh 1-13 Meath 0-13
Allianz Football League Div 3
Cavan 0-14 Roscommon 0-06
Tipperary 0-18 Louth 1-11
Allianz Football League Div 4
Wicklow 1-20 London 0-09
Kilkenny 0-04 Leitrim 4-19
Allianz Hurling League Div 1
Tipperary 2-19 Dublin 4-11
Clare 1-09 Kilkenny 3-16
Waterford 2-12 Galway 1-21
Cork 1-20 Limerick 2-16
Allianz Hurling League Div 2
Antrim 3-19 Kerry 4-14
Down 0-12 Wexford 2-19
Offaly 4-14 Laois 1-10
Allianz Hurling League Div 3A
Armagh 3-11 Meath 2-17
Derry 3-18 Wicklow 1-06
Kildare 0-19 Mayo 2-07
Allianz Hurling League Div 3B
Louth 1-18 Donegal 0-07
Fingal 2-18 Longford 1-12
Tyrone 1-10 Roscommon 3-18