WITH relative comfort, holders Limerick overcame Waterford, 0-28 to 0-22, in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship at a sun-splashed Walsh Park.
It means that since the introduction of the round-robin system in the south, John Kiely’s side have a 100 per cent win rate against The Déise.
In front of a 12,000 attendance, in which the visitors were well represented, Limerick led from flag fall courtesy of Diarmaid Byrnes and the victory was book-ended with a ninth score of the evening from his Patrickswell clubmate Aaron Gillane.
On a good night for the ‘Well, two-time Player of the Year Cian Lynch picked up the Man of the Match award.
“You have to be grateful if you’re picked to start, or picked on the match-day squad of 26. Everyone part of this group is special,” said an ultra-modest Lynch.
There were multiple contenders for the accolade, including Barry Nash, Kyle Hayes, Adam English, Tom Morrissey, and Shane O’Brien, who came closest to grabbing the game’s sole goal only for his 20th minute rasper to hit the butt of an upright.
Injury-dogged Darragh O’Donovan was a welcome addition to the fray for Limerick in the latter stages.
Nextup for Limerick is a visit from Cork to a sold-out Gaelic Grounds on Sunday week, May 18.
Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Mike Casey; Diarmaid Byrnes (0-1), Kyle Hayes, Barry Nash (0-1); Adam English (0-3), William O’Donoghue; Gearóid Hegarty (0-1), Cian Lynch (0-3), Tom Morrissey (0-3); Aaron Gillane (0-9), Shane O’Brien (0-4), David Reidy.
Substitutes: Colin Coughlan (0-1); Cathal O’Neill (0-1); Aidan O’Connor (0-1), Darragh O’Donovan, Donnacha Ó Dálaigh.
