Wins for Cork and Waterford this sees the Munster giants clash next weekend in the Waterford Crystal Cup semi-finals.
New Cork manager Gerald McCarthy watched his charges beat Cork IT 2-20 to 1-11 in a competitive encounter at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
McCarthy slotted long-time full back Diarmuid O’Sullivan in at full-forward, and the 'Rock', who nabbed a 28th-minute goal, did enough, despite getting little ball, to suggest that he may see some league action in the role.
Another big positive for the Rebels' management was the return of Joe Deane after his testicular cancer scare late last year.
Deane, the two-time All-Star, came off the bench for the second half to rapturous applause from the Cork faithful.
O’Sullivan’s goal, allied to good points from Kieran Murphy, Glen Rovers defender Graham Callinan and Neil Ronan stretched Cork’s lead to five points, 1-8 to 0-6, just before half-time.
New Cork captain Murphy, who partnered Mickey O’Connell at midfield, continue to strike some excellent scores in the second half, with Castletownroche’s Jonathan O’Callaghan also bisecting the posts.
Cork’s second goal was registered by Conor Cusack, the younger brother of goalkeeper Donal Og.
O’Connell was perhaps Cork’s most impressive player and the Midleton clubman will hope to put down another marker next weekend against Waterford, as he seeks a return to his form of 1999.
Cork IT kept plugging away until the end with John Hurley scoring a goal for them in the 43rd-minute and Cork senior panellist Cathal Naughton adding some notable points.
Waterford, helped by a sterling performance from new skipper Michael 'Brick' Walsh, beat Limerick IT 2-15 to 1-16 after extra-time in Dungarvan.
While Clare and Tipperary have been paired together in the other semi-final after wins over Kerry (1-5 to 0-6) and Waterford IT (2-18 to 0-5) respectively.
In Tony Considine's second competitive game at the helm, Clare battled past the Kingdom and some atrocious weather conditions at Lerrig to qualify for the last-four.
Hailstones, rain and a fierce wind made it a horrible day for hurling and in particular, any forwards hoping to impress their manager.
Only seven players managed to get on the scoresheet, four for Clare and three for the home side.
Clare had a solid spine in Conor Plunkett at full-back and commanding centre back Colm Forde, and with that and some decent shooting, they managed to take a 0-5 to 0-4 lead into the second half.
Shane Brick tallied up three frees for Kerry in the first half, but also missed three other placed balls as the weather held sway. Wing forward Bobby O'Sullivan notched their only point from play while Cathal Lafferty, Tyrone Kearse, Darragh Shannon and Derek Quinn (0-2) raised white flags for Clare in the opening period.
Quinn was the only Clare forward playing anywhere near his potential and he finished as their top scorer with 1-2 (1f).
Brick's fourth point saw Kerry get back on terms, two minutes into the second half, but the best move of the match followed just moments later when Lafferty swung in a great cross for Quinn to blast a shot to the Kerry net.
Incredibly Clare failed to add to their tally for the remainder and a single Michael Conway point was all Kerry could muster in the closing half-hour.
Kerry though can take much from this battling performance ahead of the National League, particularly Jason Casey and Aidan Boyle who caught the eye in the half-back line.
WATERFORD CRYSTAL CUP QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Cork 2-20 Cork IT 1-11, Pairc Ui Chaoimh
Kerry 0-6 Clare 1-5, Lerrig
Tipperary 2-16 Waterford IT 0-5, Nenagh
Waterford 2-14 Limerick IT 1-16, Dungarvan (aet)
