UL Fitzgibbon Cup Semi-finals/Limerick IT 1-19 University of Limerick 2-9:Galway's young hurling sensation Joe Canning bagged 1-8 as Limerick IT reached today's final with four points to spare over a spirited UL side in this tie at the Carlow IT grounds yesterday.
With some of the brightest hurling talents in the land on view the game did not live up to expectations but there were some fine individual displays from players on both sides.
Limerick IT, coached by Clare's All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald, were never led. After shooting the game's opening two points from a Canning free and another from Kilkenny's Austin Murphy, UL hit back to level with points from an Alan Egan free and team captain Brendan Bugler.
The sides were trading points for most of the opening half before Canning earned a 28th-minute penalty for his side when an opponent chopped down on him as the Portumna clubman made tracks for goal.
Canning stepped up and blasted the penalty to the UL net as Limerick IT went on to lead 1-6 to 0-5 at half-time, with the advantage of the wind to come.
Midway through the second half two UL substitutes, David McCormack and Matthew Ruth, combined for the latter to shoot to the corner of the LIT net. The score now stood 1-10 to 1-7 in favour of LIT. Pa Donnellan added a UL point from play but that was as good as it got for them.
An Iarlaith Tannion point for LIT put them three points in front and Canning then punished UL with two points from frees taken inside the university side's half - scores which were very disheartening for the opposition.
The game was back in the melting pot when David McCormack struck for a second UL goal with five minutes left. At that stage LIT led 1-15 to 2-8 and they saw out the remainder of the game to qualify for this afternoon's final with NUI Galway.
LIT held an edge throughout this game and with big name players like Jackie Tyrrell and Canning at either end of the field they will start favourites to win today's final. Conor O'Mahony at centre back and midfielder Kieran Murphy were also impressive for the winners.
The UL half back line was their best sector, with Clare's Bugler and Thomas Stapleton, a Tipperary All-Ireland minor medal winner from last year, particularly good. Further back Kieran Joyce did well in containing Canning in the man-to-man exchanges.
The substitutes worked well for them but they lacked the all-round strength of their opponents.
One thing seems certain, Ger Loughnane, who attended yesterday's game, will surely move heaven and earth to have Canning in his Galway hurling side for the 2007 championship.
LIMERICK IT: J Skehill; M Walsh, J Tyrrell, A Byrne; M O'Brien, C O'Mahony, S McGrath; J Clancy (0-1), K Murphy (0-3); E Caddigan, A Murphy (0-1), I Tannion (0-2); A Callanan (0-1), J Canning (1-8, 1-0 pen, 0-7 frees), J McInerney. Subs: B Gaffney for Caddigan (27 mins); D O'Reilly for Murphy (53 mins).
UL: T Flynn; K Joyce, A Murphy, P Dowling; S O'Brien (0-1), B Bugler (0-2), T Stapleton; P Donnellan (0-2), N Ó Murchú; A Kennedy, A Ó Cairrealáin, P Flynn (0-1); R Ruth, J Greene, A Egan (0-3, frees). Subs: D McCormack (1-0) for Ó Cairrealáin (37 mins), M Ruth (1-0) for Greene (45 mins).
Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).
