Tom Humphries at Semple Stadium
Tipperary 2-14 Limerick 2-14
The sun gently advertised the commencement of serious hurling in Thurles yesterday and we were glad of its cheery endorsement. Everything else about the afternoon was so downbeat and fatalistic that the day deserved clouds and drizzle.
In the aftermath of a mildly stimulating draw both Limerick and Tipp came across with the cheeriness of a Barnum asking us to roll up, roll up, roll up and then step inside for what pleasures the replay will bring.
We can be pardoned our wariness. That we got a tingling finish yesterday is a small mercy not to be sniffed at. That another cliffhanger would be guaranteed is dubious.
We were down to the wire yesterday when Paul Kelly launched a magnificent sideline cut from out on the left at Semple Stadium. A thousand Tipp prayers floated over its graceful arc and were answered when the ball fell into a thicket of hurleys and emerged at speed off the stick of John Devane. The sliotar rippled the net and Limerick, who had been coasting, were a point down with the seconds seeping.
A time for cool heads. Paul O'Grady stepped into the breach, snapped up some loose ball and drove a point from 45 yards. The referee's whistle went straight into his mouth. That's all, folks.
All quite unlikely. The arrival of the hurling championship has been clouded by gloom. Every serious stick county deems itself to be suffering from some malaise that prevents it doing anything to prevent the onset of a Cork and Kilkenny conclusion.
Yesterday's participants have their eyes already on spots among the also-rans. The question is how long they can postpone the evil day.
Tipp and Limerick took to the field like small-time actors whose agents had secured them bit parts which would hardly interrupt their shift work as waiters and bellboys. One side would get killed off yesterday. The other might make an appearance in another episode. In the end they both got another twist and were happy for themselves. Especially in the Tipp camp. With five minutes to go the game seemed lost to them.
From the terraces the imminence of their demise was greeted with a shrug. Tipperary folk have been so morose about their side's prospects that many had worn their dead-man-walking faces as they proceeded to Semple Stadium.
The mood transferred itself to the pitch and Tipperary looked tentative and cautious right until the end when their backs were pressed up against the wall.
In the first half it was easy to see what all the depression was about. Tipp hurled timidly and unreliably. The full-back line was lead-footed. The half forwards permitted ball after ball to be caught over their heads.
They trailed by two at half time but there was a sense of disaster postponed. Things could only get worse.
We spent long spells of that first period scanning the skies for the first glimpse of the squadrons of assassins sent from Old Trafford to take out JP McManus. The Limerick sponsor's little earner last week has brought the wrath of a city down on him but yesterday was for pleasure.
Early in the second half it looked as if Limerick had wrapped up the game for themselves. Donie Ryan scooted into the Tipperary area, taking advantage of a mildly arthritic full-back line. He was felled. TJ Ryan stepped up and placed the penalty in the sack. Five points clear.
The crowd of 28,353 seemed to have as many visitors from Limerick in their midst as they did locals and on balance the volume and clamour favoured the visitors. Ken Hogan, the Tipperary manager, explained the phenomenon afterwards.
"There is pessimism in Tipp. We're used to that. When you are from a county which is used to winning championship games people assume we can win championship games easily, but championship games aren't won easy.
"So many things didn't work out on the afternoon. We started pretty well in the first 10 minutes. We got two or three up and then I thought it was like ping-pong. Points going over from frees at each end.
"They got the decisive goal just before half-time and after that we seemed to be playing catch-up."
For Limerick folk, travelling in hope is more of a duty. Over the last few years if they had set forth with a realistic appraisal of their side's prospects they would never have left home.
It is the best part of half a decade since Limerick won a proper championship game and yesterday the result hung tantalisingly for a long time.
Manager Joe McKenna was as content as his counterpart in the Tipp changing-room.
"We haven't won a championship match in many years now and it was always going to be difficult at the end of the game for us. We showed massive character to come back and get the equalising point. All the backs were outstanding. The lads died for the jersey today. You could look for no more."
Both sides will be looking for just a little more when they meet again, next Saturday, in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick at 6.30pm.