GAELIC GAMES:On an afternoon when the weather didn't have quite the impact feared on the second round of Allianz National Hurling League fixtures, just two Division One fixtures went by the board and in the matches that were played, All-Ireland champions and National League holders Kilkenny went down to their first competitive defeat since the 2005 All-Ireland semi-final.
The eagerly-awaited Division One A clash between Waterford and Cork was abandoned yesterday morning after a pitch inspection at Walsh Park and before the Munster champions had set out from Cork.
"We considered moving it to Fraher Field (Dungarvan)," according to Waterford PRO Joe Clancy, "but that was unplayable as well. Saturday was fine but the rain had been coming down since three o'clock this morning (Sunday), eased off for a while and then we had it again at 2pm."
Dublin's match against Antrim, scheduled for Casement Park was called off a lot later, less than an hour before the throw-in but both managements, Dublin's Tommy Naughton and the Antrim pair of Dominic McKinley and Terence McNaughton, fully agreed with referee Ger Devlin's decision to abandon proceedings, The Division Two A fixture between Carlow and Meath was also postponed.
A meeting of the Central Competitions Control Committee is expected to reschedule the matches today.
On the field there was some interesting action. Kilkenny hadn't lost a league match for two years before yesterday's visit by Tipperary but in the continuing absence of the Ballyhale players ahead of the All-Ireland club final next week, failed for the second time in this league to win a match.
Three goals for the visitors, two from Danny O'Hanlon and the other from Paul Kelly, together with saving a Richie Power penalty late in the first half enabled Michael "Babs" Keating's team to ride out the inevitable Kilkenny comeback from a 10-point deficit to within a score of the winners, 3-13 to 2-13.
At the end of the day only Galway had full points from the league's opening two matches. Ger Loughnane's team ran out convincing winners, 0-17 to 1-9, of what had been for most of the 70 minutes an evenly balanced match in Limerick. Down the road in Ennis there was also an exciting win for the away side with Wexford having two points to spare over Clare in what were John Meyler's side's first points of the campaign.
Division Two saw two noteworthy results. In Two A Laois, overwhelming favourites for promotion, went down to Wicklow in Aughrim 1-12 to 2-12, the winners' two goals coming from Wayne O'Gorman whereas in Two B Mayo had a remarkably convincing 2-13 to 1-8 win over Kerry.
