Cork retained their 100 per cent league record with a comfortable victory at Pairc Ui Rinn yesterday, despite having left corner-forward Fionan Murray sent off eight minutes into the second half for a second bookable offence.

At the time Cork were 1-12 to 0-4 in front, but Wicklow could never mount a challenge in the remainder of the game with their goal coming in stoppage time at the end of the game from a Ronan Coffey penalty.

Wicklow began promisingly, twice taking early leads, but the home side took over in a devastating quarter-hour spell.

They tacked on 1-6 to open up a 1-8 to 0-3 advantage, with Colin Corkery, who scored 1-9 in all, claiming the goal after 21 minutes, following good approach work by Michael Cronin and Fionan Murray.

Corkery gave an exhibition of long range free-taking in the half, while Philip Clifford also chipped in with a couple of his own.

CORK: K O'Dwyer; J Miskella (0-1), S Og O hAilpin, A Lynch; M O'Donovan, O Sexton, M Cronin; N Murphy, M O'Sullivan; M Cronin, P Clifford (0-4), BG O'Sullivan (0-2); P Mullane, C Corkery (1-9), F Murray. Subs: C O'Sullivan for Miskella; F Collins for Clifford; M O'Sullivan (0-1) for Mullane; G Lynch for O hAilpin; J Lynch for Corkery.

WICKLOW: T Murphy; M Coffey, K Foley, O O hAnnaigh; B O hAinnaidh, B O'Donovan (0- 1), B Whelan; B Sheehan, D Dillon; S O'Neill (0- 1), R Coffey (1-1), G Doran; P Callaghan, T Gill (0-2), J Behan. Subs: T Harney (0-1) for Whelan; K Burke for O'Neill; G Jameson for Callaghan; K Manning for O O hAnnaidh; R Stapleton for Dillon.

Referee: D Joyce (Galway).