Limerick and Cork made winning starts to the 2020 Munster senior hurling league after seeing off Tipperary and Kerry respectively tonight.

John Kiely’s experimental side saw off Tipp by 2-22 to 1-17 at the LIT Gaelic Grounds, where goals in either half from Na Piarsaigh's Adrian Breen (1-5) and David Dempsey worked the oracle for the Shannonsiders.

The new-look visitors had been wasteful during the first-half, tallying 11 wides to their opponents five, and went in trailing by 1-10 to 0-9 at the break, with Breen’s 14th minute strike the glaring difference between the sides.

The All-Ireland champions came out with guns blazing after the restart and goaled through John McGrath to level the tie on 38 minutes.

However, David Reidy’s frees nudged the hosts back in front (1-14 to 1-11) for the closing quarter.

Tipp managed to reduce the deficit back but Limerick, starting with just two of the side that lost to Kilkenny five months ago in Richie English and Dan Morrissey, ensured victory when sub Dempsey took a feed from Seamus Flanagan and rifled home.

In Pairc Ui Rinn, Cork cruised past Kerry with a 19-point win to kick off their new campaign in style.

It finished 1-27 to 0-11 in favour of the home side with the goal coming from Ryan Walsh six minutes into the second-half.

Kieran Kingston’s men led by 0-15 to 0-7 at the half, with Shane Kingston and Sean Twomey notching 0-4 apiece, and they were home and dry once Walsh rattled the Kingdom’s net early in the restart.

Shane Conway hit 0-7 of the visitors 0-11 tally as Fintan O'Connor's side endured a tough start to their new campaign.

Limerick - B Hennessy; T Condon, R English, A Costello; D Morrissey (0-1), B Nash, P O’Loughlin (0-1); R Connolly, R Hanley; D O’Donovan (0-1), D Reidy (0-6f), C Boylan; A Breen (1-5), S Flanagan (0-3), D O’Connell (0-2). Subs: D Dempsey (1-0) for R Connolly, T Morrissey (0-3) for C Boylan, B Ryan for D O’Connell, B O’Grady for T Condon, M Quinlan for P O’Loughlin.

Tipperary - Paul Maher; Joe O’Dwyer, B McGrath, C Morgan; A Flynn, B Heffernan, R Byrne; M Breen (0-1), P Cadell; M Kehoe (0-1), J McGrath (1-2), W Connors (0-1); J Cahill (0-1), J Forde (0-8, 6f, 1sl), P Flynn (0-2). Subs: K O’Dwyer for Joe O’Dwyer, C Darcy (0-1) for J Cahill, J Ryan for R Byrne, Padraic Maher for C Morgan, C Hammersley for M Breen.

Referee - T Walsh.

**

Cork - P Collins; D Lowney, E Murphy, S O’Donoghue; C O’Leary (0-4, 2f), T O’Mahony, D Cahalane (0-1); B Hennessy, R Walsh (1-2); R O’Flynn (0-4), S Kingston (0-5, 1f), S Twomey (0-4); L Meade, M O’Halloran (0-3), B Turnbull (0-2). Subs: M Coleman (0-2, 1f) for L Meade, S O’Regan for S Kingston, C O’Callaghan for S O’Donoghue, E Roche for T O’Mahony, B Roche for R O’Flynn.

Kerry - M Stackpoole; S Weir, B Murphy, E Murphy; D Shanahan, F Mackessy, T O’Connor; S Nolan (0-1), D Hunt; S Conway (0-7, 4f), D Collins (0-1), G Dooley (0-1); J Conway, M Leane, M Slattery. Subs: P Lucid for D Shanahan, M Lenihan for S Nolan, S McElligott for M Slattery, D O’Donoghue (0-1) for J Conway, F O’Sullivan for G Dooley.

Referee - J O’Halloran.

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