Niall Hoctor came off the bench to hit an injury-time winning goal as Tipperary edged out Limerick by 4-15 to 2-18 in a sensational Munster quarter-final at Thurles.

Tipp - the defending All-Ireland and Munster champions - led nearly all the way and were two ahead with seven minutes left but four unanswered points from the excellent Paul O'Brien (0-11) saw the determined Treaty County move ahead for the first time right at the death.

With 2,567 looking on, Tipperary sealed a semi-final berth thanks to last-gasp points from Anthony McKelvey and Jake Morris before Hoctor bagged the winning goal in the second added minute. Tipp are through to the last four in the province in late June, while there is still life left in Limerick, who will be involved in the second semi-final play-off (against either Cork or Waterford) in four or five weeks' time.

On a dramatic night when Liam Cahill's charges did spectators no favours with some jersey mix-ups amongst their subs, the winners led by 2-10 to 1-8 at the end of a pulsating opening period, with Andrew Ormond hitting their second goal deep into added time after Limerick had tied the scores up with a Dylan O'Shea three-pointer three minutes from the break.

Although both teams were staying in the championship regardless of the outcome tonight, provincial openers still don't come much bigger than a repeat of the previous year's Munster and All-Ireland finals - and this game did not disappoint!

JK Brackens clubman Ormond got the holders off to a flying start with the opening point inside 30 seconds but opposing centre forward O'Brien responded instantly with an equally-delightful score. Conor Bowe restored the hosts' lead but again the Treaty came back with an O'Brien point, this one from a fifth-minute free.

The game exploded to life in the sixth minute when Conor McCarthy - a late addition to the Tipp starting XV (but wearing Hoctor's shirt!) - powered through the heart of the Limerick defence with only one thing on his mind and planted an unstoppable shot in the back of the net; with full forward McKelvey wreaking havoc, McCarthy then won a free which was popped between the posts by McKelvey to make it 1-3 to 0-2.

A great individual score from David Woulfe off his left and another from O'Shea reduced the arrears before Bowe bagged his second to leave the goal between them after twelve minutes. Morris lofted over the winners' third successive point from all of 65 metres to give the holders a commanding 1-6 to 0-4 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.

McCarthy tore through to add to his tally but an O'Brien brace and a lovely effort from wing back Dan Minehan drew the visitors back within one score again, 1-7 to 0-7 after 20 minutes. Full forward Ronan Connolly added the eighth Limerick point six minutes from the break but opposing No.14 McKelvey replied within seconds.

A superb O'Shea goal had the visitors back on terms in the 27^th minute but a nice McKelvey free edged Tipp's noses back in front on the stroke of half time and the brilliant McCarthy pointed off his right in stoppage time before Ormond fired to the net with the last action of the opening period to propel the hosts into a five-point interval lead.

The lights were on for the second half and half-time substitute Willie Barry lit the game up with a third Tipp goal within 16 seconds of the restart to leave eight between the teams, 3-10 to 1-8. Incredibly, Limerick replied within two minutes when O'Shea grabbed his second major. O'Brien's brace - a free and then a sweet strike from the middle of the park - had the gallant Shannonsiders back within three again seven minutes into the second half…

McKelvey's free steadied the holders 19 minutes from the end but frees from O'Shea and O'Brien - from his own '65' - and a second point for Woulfe off his left had the minimum between the teams after 47 minutes, 3-11 to 2-13. McKelvey came agonisingly close to netting a fourth Tipp goal before Kilmallock ace Woulfe cancelled out Tipp's twelfth of the night as things remained delicately poised with ten minutes left.

The scores dried up as the tension rose but wing back Kieran Breen doubled Tipp's advantage on 53 minutes only for O'Brien to immediately reply from a routine free to leave a point between the sides with six minutes left. Yet another O'Brien free levelled the scores with 56 minutes played and - in the 59^th minute - O'Brien lofted over a point from a '65' to give the Treaty County the lead for the first time.

Entering the last minute of the match, O'Brien won and converted another free to give Limerick a two-point cushion but McKelvey's injury-time free halved the gap and Nenagh clubman Morris broke through for an excellent equalising score on the stroke of the hour - 3-15 to 2-18.

Unbelievably, with exta time looming, substitute Hoctor handed Tipp victory with the clinching goal in injury time at the end of an astonishing match.

Tipperary - E Collins; M Purcell, M Feehan, J Cahill; C Morgan, P Cadell, J Gunne; K Breen (0-1), B O'Mara; C Bowe (0-2), J Morris (0-2), C McCarthy (1-3); D Woods, A McKelvey (0-5, 4f), A Ormond (1-1). Subs: W Barry (1-0) for D Woods, C Bourke (0-1) for C McCarthy, B Murphy for J Gunne, N Hoctor (1-0) for A Ormond.

Limerick - B Curtin; C Flahive, C McNicholas, C Barry; M O'Brien, J Boylan, D Minehan (0-1); M O'Grady, R Duff; P O'Riordan, P O'Brien (0-11, 7f, 1'65), D Woulfe (0-3); R Tobin, R Connolly (0-1), D O'Shea (2-2). Subs: K Byrnes for R Tobin, P Maher for D Minehan, B O'Grady for P O'Riordan.

Referee - N Wall.

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