National Hurling League Division One/ Kilkenny 1-14 Cork 1-11: Not even the most eagerly awaited fixture of the season to date could bring the Allianz National Hurling League to life at Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday.
A slightly bizarre match in which each side dropped out for long periods ended with Kilkenny reversing the result of last year's All-Ireland final by an unflattering single score.
Cork manager John Allen had indicated his plans for the league this season were largely preparatory and with that in mind he eased back a few of the All-Ireland-winning team in the second half and was content to make a contest of the match that had looked to be sliding out of Cork's sight during the first half.
For a phase in the first quarter every time the big-wheel riders at the funfair behind the ground came up for a view of the match Kilkenny had scored again. By the 13th minute it was 1-7 to no score and the options were either that Cork pedalled furiously or we'd end up with the sort of scoreline that gets the stewards shuffling their paperwork.
Strangely, neither scenario came to pass. Instead Kilkenny seemed to lose interest and didn't score for the rest of the half but Cork managed only two in reply despite playing with the wind.
Despite the lack of scoreboard motion Kilkenny continued to look the more committed and competed vigorously for the ball, at times springing up in twos or threes to ambush their sluggish opponents, who compounded their lack of urgency with some loose finishing that cost seven wides before half-time.
The only change to the selected teams saw PJ Ryan replace James McGarry in the Kilkenny goal and he dealt capably with Cork's favoured first-half tactic of raining shots down on the square in an effort to explore Garvan McCarthy's ability under a dropping ball.
Elsewhere there were positive contributions for Kilkenny from Brian Horgan at centre back, at least until Niall McCarthy moved to the wing and became a focus of Cork's recovery in the second half. And Bryan Barry at centrefield also did well when called upon to relieve Horgan and curb McCarthy's growing influence.
But up front Kilkenny began in sharp style. DJ Carey gave Diarmuid O'Sullivan a runaround and let off two points in the first 10 minutes, while behind him Eoin Larkin was causing similar bother for Ronan Curran. They combined for their team's goal in the 13th minute - Larkin digging out the ball for Richie Power to drop in on Carey, who took on O'Sullivan before casually chipping in one of those deadly handball passes for Martin Comerford to finish to the net.
That made it a forbidding 1-7 to no score. But that was the end of the sparkle. Kilkenny forwards (substitutes included) put up only two further scores from play. O'Sullivan and Curran got on top and together with Pat Mulcahy, who played well all afternoon, got Cork's defensive game back on track.
The return of the A team started before the break, with Brian Corcoran coming on for Jonathan O'Callaghan. He was quickly followed by Joe Deane and Tom Kenny early in the second half.
Thus strengthened, Cork chased the game and what had looked at one stage depressingly like one of those freak matches occasionally thrown up by the league became belatedly a contest - much, one imagines, to the relief of the 12,850 crowd who had presumably turned up expecting more than a training run.
At the start of the third quarter Dan O'Connor fired over a succession of three frees that cut the margin to five, 0-8 to 1-10. As the margin hovered between five and six, Cork nearly got a vital goal; but Jackie Tyrrell did well to block Deane's point-blank shot after good work by Ben O'Connor and Ciarán Murphy.
The goal did come for Deane in the 67th minute. This time it was good defensive work by Mulcahy that set up the attack. Ben O'Connor's shot was again blocked by Tyrrell but the rebound popped up for Deane and he scored. A couple more frees by O'Connor cut the margin to a single score - a conclusion that had looked scarcely possible an hour previously.
Kilkenny also had the satisfaction of being able to bring Henry Shefflin in for his first outing of the season; after 25 minutes and one point, he was withdrawn for the final minute.
KILKENNY: PJ Ryan; J Tyrrell, N Hickey, J Ryall; R Mullally, B Horgan, JJ Delaney; D Lyng (0-1), B Barry (0-3, one sideline); M Comerford (1-0), E Larkin (0-5, three frees), T Walsh (0-1); C Phelan, DJ Carey (0-2), R Power (0-1, free). Subs: H Shefflin (0-1) for Phelan (39 mins), E McCormack for Horgan (58 mins), E Brennan for Shefflin (66 mins).
CORK: D Cusack; C O'Connor, D O'Sullivan, P Mulcahy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Ó hAilpín; P Tierney, J O'Connor; B O'Connor (0-9, frees), N McCarthy (0-1), N Ronan (0-1); K Murphy, G McCarthy, J O'Callaghan. Subs: B Corcoran for O'Callaghan (35 mins), J Deane (1-0) for McCarthy (43 mins), T Kenny for Tierney (51 mins), G Callinan for Ronan (67 mins).
Referee: P O'Connor (Limerick).
