A strong second-half showing which yielded 1-14 saw Cork past Limerick at Pairc Ui Rinn, 2-20 to 1-13.

With 3,222 looking on, goals in either half from influential duo Tim O'Mahony and Shane Kingston ensured that the hosts progressed with ten points to spare in the end.

Having dominated long periods of the first half, Limerick led by three points at the short whistle, 1-9 to 1-6, after playing against the breeze.

Within 20 minutes, the hard-working visitors had built up a deserved double-scores advantage, 1-7 to 0-5. Seamus Flanagan got their goal in the eleventh minute to propel his side into a seven-point lead, 1-4 to 0-1.

Billy Dunne registered that early Rebels point while Flanagan (two frees), Peter Casey and Barry Murphy were on target for the Treaty men.

After Flanagan hit the net, Kingston clipped over a couple of frees for Cork but both were cancelled out. Declan Dalton's '65' for the Rebels was replied to by another couple of Limerick scores but the Leesiders got themselves right back into contention three minutes from the break when O'Mahony's goal sliced the arrears down to four.

Kingston closed the first-half scoring to leave three in it at the break.

The Rebels notched the first five points of the second half through Kingston (3), Ciaran Cormack and O'Mahony and a further 1-1 from Kingston made it 2-12 to 1-11 at the three-quarters stage.

John Looney and Michael O'Halloran stretched the gap and Kingston, O'Mahony (2), Dalton, Looney and O'Halloran piled over more points as the Rebel County progressed to a July 1st semi-final. They could meet Limerick again in that game as the Treaty County are due to face Waterford - beaten by Tipperary in tonight's other quarter-final - in a semi-final play-off on May 6th.

Cork - D Dalton (0-2, 1'65, 1f); S Smith, D Griffin, N O'Leary; M Coleman, E Murphy, D Lowney; C O'Leary, D Fitzgibbon; T O'Mahony (1-3), R O'Flynn, S Kingston (1-9, 0-4f); B Dunne (0-1), C Cormack (0-1), M O'Halloran (0-2). Subs: D Gunning for R O'Flynn, J Looney (0-2) for B Dunne.

Limerick - E McNamara; M Bourke, C McSweeney, J O'Grady; C Carroll, P O'Loughlin, C Byrnes; C O'Connor, T Hayes; K Hayes (0-1), P Casey (0-2), T Grimes; B Murphy (0-5), S Flanagan (1-4, 0-4f), D Carroll. Subs: C Boylan for C Carroll, W O'Meara (0-1) for T Hayes, D Hannon for D Carroll, P Harron for K Hayes, C Magner Flynn for C O'Connor.

Referee - J McGann.

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