Cork see off Kerry to get Pat Ryan off to winning start in Munster Hurling League

Cork 2-30 Kerry 2-17

Cork got Pat Ryan's tenure off to a winning start as they saw off Kerry 2-30 to 2-17 in their Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League opener at Tralee's Austin Stack Park.

Group A of the pre-season competition got underway with Davy Fitzgerald's Waterford beating Liam Cahill's Tipperary on Tuesday night in Mallow, and it was the turn of Group B to get the year off the mark on Thursday.

Cork made a strong start under their new manager who succeeded Kieran Kingston last July, building a 1-16 to 0-07 lead over Kerry at the interval, with Declan Dalton scoring the goal from a penalty on 22 minutes.

A second goal from Shane Barrett five minutes after half-time saw the Rebels stretch their lead further to 15 points.

But Kerry rallied with two goals of their own from Podge Boyle, the second from play, albeit Cork keeping their opponents at arm's length throughout and preventing the Kingdom from repeating a result on the scale of their shock opening win of 2022 against Tipperary.

Up next for Cork in Group B will be a clash against Limerick on Sunday, 15 January, while Kerry will face the All-Ireland champions two days later in Rathkeale.

Group A will resume this Sunday, 8 January when Tipperary will look to bounce back from the defeat to the Déise against a Clare side that will be looking to make a winning start to 2023.