Spring has sprung and, whether or not it develops into a prosperous summer for Dublin hurling, this seven-point victory after a vigorous game at Parnell Park lifted the spirit of those who long for a revival of the old game in the capital.

The seven-point win was achieved with a combination of skill, teamwork, determination and dogged resistance, all of which Dublin hurling has lacked for some time. For Limerick, the future seems to hold some dangerous demons. A poor performances against Offaly was followed by a spirited display in their defeat by Clare. Their manager, Eamon Cregan, greeted their performance in the Clare game as an indication of a new beginning.

His team's performance yesterday set that hope back a long way, prompting him to admit: "Quite honestly I don't know where we go from here."

The result was a surprise, the margin a shock. Yet the gap between the teams on the scoreboard could have been much wider. Few goalkeepers would have saved the shots which Limerick's Joe Quaid stopped in this match. In the latter stages of the first half he stopped three efforts by the Dublin attack within the space of 20 seconds, all of which might have beaten a less alert goalkeeper. When Dublin's first goal arrived in the fifth minute of the second half he had again defied the odds but could not have been blamed when Conor McCann drove a partial clearance into the top corner of his net. It may be that he might be asked to bear some responsibility for the second Dublin goal. He was trapped in possession and, under severe pressure, failed to make a clean clearance and Shane Ryan made the most of the slender chance to hit the Limerick net again.

Indeed, were it not for the vigilance of Quaid and full back Brian Begley, Dublin would have been, by that stage - eight minutes into the second half - out of sight.

Limerick seemed to lose faith in themselves and shot six wides from good positions. Up until that stage Mike Galligan had kept them ticking over from frees and Mike Houlihan and James Moran had not wilted, but the scores were not coming and Dublin were taking control in all the vital areas of the field: Barry O'Sullivan was the anchor at centre back, and the midfield of Michael Fitzsimmons and David Sweeney were also prospering.

Limerick seemed to have been lured into some complacency by the fact that there were only two points adrift (0-8 to 0-6) at half-time, and would be playing with the stiff breeze after the break. As things turned out the breeze dropped considerably after the break and so did Limerick chins when the sliotar hit the back of their net twice in the first eight minutes of the second half. Limerick were now trailing 2-9 to 0-7 and it was going to require a huge effort to get back into a challenging position. By that stage Dublin were operating on a huge flow of adrenalin. Players were throwing caution to the wind and, as a result, were finding that they were first to the ball both in the air and on the ground.

Limerick were depending far too much on the efforts of Galligan, Houlihan and O'Neill, and the scores were not coming. Six opportunities were wasted in the second half alone.

As the match drifted towards its conclusion it became obvious that Dublin would not lose their grip. Limerick cut the lead to five points at one stage but efforts to get a goal from two 20-metre frees yielded only a point as the Dublin defence stood firm and Jack Foley emphasised Limerick's problems with another wide. The Dublin manager, Michael O'Grady, described his team's performance as a act of faith in themselves. "We knew we were good enough, all we had to do was prove it," he said. "We had four of our under-21 team on duty today and we can now look forward with some confidence to our match against Offaly next week.

"We gave away terrible goals against Galway and we seem to have solved our problem there this week. Limerick had a very poor day by their standards. We are working very hard and I am pleased that the work has paid dividends for the players.

"It will mean a great deal to them. I would have been happy to have been beaten narrowly but to win by such a margin has given us a great boost," he said. A despondent Cregan admitted that he could not understand the Limerick performance. "After a good show against Clare last week I expected an improvement today but we are blowing hot one week and cold the next. It is no use having five or six players playing their hearts out and the rest failing to deliver. You need 15 players fully committed.

"We will have to sit down and consider putting together a new panel of players. Where they are going to come from, I don't know," he said.

DUBLIN: B McLoughlin; J Finnegan, S Power, D Spain; L Walsh, B O'Sullivan, D McLoughlin; M Fitzsimmons, D Sweeney (0-1); S Martin, L Ryan (0-1), S Ryan (1-2); T McGrane (0-5 - one 65, three frees), C McCann (1-1), K Flynn (0-2). Subs: S Perkins for Sweeney (56 mins); L O'Donoghue for Finnegan (59 mins).

LIMERICK: J Quaid; D Nash, B Begley, B Geary; D Clarke, C Carey, M Foley; O Moran, J Foley; M Galligan (0-5 - four frees) M Houlihan (0-1), J Moran (0-3); D Ryan, S O'Neill (0-1), J Butler. Subs: S Lucey for Geary (half-time); TJ Ryan for D Ryan (41 mins); C Smith (0-1) for Butler (49 mins).

Referee: P Aherne (Carlow).