Cork are through to the Munster final at the second attempt after beating holders Tipperary by 2-22 to 2-19 at Pairc Ui Rinn.

With a massive Monday-night crowd of 8,142 in attendance (and under 16s of course admitted for free!), the second installment of this epic contest went right down to the wire as the defending champions - playing catch-up virtually all night - recovered from eleven points down after 41 minutes to close within the minimum in injury time, only for the Rebels to notch the last two points and seal a double date with Clare on Sunday.

Wearing 10 but posted on the 40, Craig Hanafin was the match-winner for Cork, who were also served well by Brian Turnbull and Daire Connery, amongst a host of others. Tipp went into the game as reigning provincial and national champions and gave it everything but came up marginally short in the end.

If Thursday's dawn game at Thurles was wonderful, this one was every bit as good!

A decisive run of 2-5 without reply between the fifth and twelfth minutes - including goals from Hanafin and Liam O'Shea - had the home team ahead by 2-11 to 0-10 at half time.

Conor Bowe and Anthony McKelvey (free) edged Tipp ahead by three points to one after three minutes. Bowe's second point increased the gap but any notions that it was going to be an easy win for the Premier County were dispelled when Hanafin - who had also slotted the hosts' opening point - hit the net in the fifth minute to tie the scores up for the second time, 1-1 to 0-4.

Evan Sheehan's terrific point had the Leesiders in front and Connery's exquisite sideline cut from 30 yards doubled the difference before the same player added a point from play to make it 1-4 to 0-4 after eight minutes.

It was double scores when Turnbull lofted over a free for the wind-assisted Rebels on ten minutes and O'Shea then gathered a pass from Hanafin to hammer a second Cork goal to the net -  2-5 to 0-4 after ten minutes and 2-4 without reply for Denis Ring's charges!

Turnbull fired over the next point as the hosts continued to dominate and Jake Morris finally supplied Tipp's first point in eleven minutes to reduce the arrears to seven with a quarter of the game played. McKelvey converted a 16^th-minute free won by Morris and Turnbull replied from one earned by Sheehan before Na Piarsaigh ace Connery whipped over an excellent long-range free to make it 2-8 to 0-6 with ten minutes left before the break.

O'Shea came within inches of registering a third Rebels three-pointer, which would surely have finished the match as a contest, and it was a four-point swing when Morris replied after terrific work from Ray McCormack. Turnbull (free) and the magnificent Connery - from his own '65 - added further scores as the winners soared nine points clear with five minutes left in the opening period, 2-10 to 0-7.

Bowe and McKelvey (free) reduced the arrears and ful forward Robert Downey - whose two last-gasp points four nights ago were the reason why we were here tonight - clipped over a sumptuous point in first-half injury time. But Tipp kept battling and were within seven points at the short whistle, having claimed three of the last four scores before the interval.

Half-time substitute Darragh Woods and Turnbull (free) traded the first two points after the restart before Morris knocked over a lovely score to leave Tipp within six, 2-12 to 0-12. Turnbull's excellent point in the 36^th minute steadied the Rebels and they kicked on with three more quickfire points - including an inspirational strike from full back and captain Sean O'Leary-Hayes - to lead by ten with 22 minutes left.

Hanafin made it 2-17 to 0-12 after 41 minutes and Morris replied after taking a pass from McKelvey, but the Lesiders remained ten clear as we passed the three-quarters mark. A soft Woods free reduced the gap but the mercurial Turnbull hit back instantly with a trademark score. A brace of unerring Woods frees had Tipp back within eight points but with only eleven minutes left to play…

Incredibly, with ten minutes remaining, substitute Cathal Bourke got on the end of a determined Tipp move to register the goal that had them right back in contention, 2-18 to 1-16. The outstanding Hanafin supplied a timely Cork score to extend their lead to six and Tipp wanted a free-in when Bourke went down but nothing was doing and Downey instead pointed at the other end.

Woods' next free left six between the sides with five minutes of normal time left and he clipped another one over in the 57^th minute - 2-20 to 1-18. Tipp's tigerish defender Jerome Cahill - who'd had his hands full trying to thwart Turnbull all night - was harshly dismissed for a second yellow card on the stroke of 70 minutes.

But the 14 men refused to let their heads drop and substitute Kevin McCarthy bundled the sliothar to the Cork net in the second of four minutes of injury time and Morris followed up with an immediate point for Liam Cahill's spirited crew. With just a point between the teams all of a sudden, and extra time again looming, the superb Turnbull delivered the insurance score for the Rebels and the final whistle sounded as Connery swung over the last score of an epic contest from a late, late free.

Cork - G Collins; E Roche, J Keating, C O'Callaghan; B Roche, S O'Leary Hayes (0-1), A Walsh Barry; G Millerick, D Connery (0-6, 2f, 1sl); E Sheehan (0-1), C Hanafin (1-4), D Linehan; L O'Shea (1-0), R Downey (0-2), B Turnbull (0-8, 4f). Subs: D Hanlon for L O'Shea, B Murphy for E Sheehan.

Tipperary - E Collins; M Purcell, M Feehan, J Cahill; R Quirke, C Morgan, K Breen; B O'Mara, P Cadell; C Bowe (0-3), J Morris (0-5), R McCormack; N Hoctor (0-1), A McKelvey (0-4f), C McCarthy. Subs: D Woods (0-6, 5f) for C McCarthy; E Connolly for B O'Mara, K McCarthy (1-0) for K Breen, C Bourke (1-0) for N Hoctor, B Seymour for A McKelvey.

Referee - J Murphy.

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