UNREMARKABLE, uneventful until Waterford found new momentum in the final quarter and soon to be largely forgotten, one suspects, by the fair-sized attendance. One of those springtime National Hurling League encounters, in other words, that is more a fixture than a contest. The protagonists will take what they wish from it. The Waterford supporters will take more than that.

Midway through the second half, with Cork having cut the gap to two points, the outcome wavered. For a moment or two the hosts appeared to wobble. Entering the closing 15 minutes, however, Ken McGrath steadied them with a point from a free, a score that blew a blast of fresh wind into their sails.

Kevin Moran pushed them four ahead with a point from the left. Eoin Kelly, very much on his game and in total communion with his striking, stretched it to five with an absolute beauty from 50 metres out on the right-hand touchline. From that moment on they were home free. Two games played, two games won - and won with understrength line-ups at that. So far, so satisfactory, even if the 2007 National League is no kind of priority for Waterford.

The first half? Move along now, nothing much to say. Neither goalie had a save to make, which tells you something about the general lack of excitement. Eight of Waterford's 10 points came from placed balls, which tells you something about the home side's difficulties in making headway despite their wind advantage. And six of Cork's seven arrived from play, which tells you something about the identity of the more incisive team. Waterford had more of the play; Cork made it look easier with what possession they had.

The breakdown of the locals' 0-10 went as follows:

Eoin Kelly six frees, Ken McGrath two 65s, Michael Walsh a point from play - their first such score, which didn't materialise till the 23rd minute - and Seamus Prendergast ditto. Not that Waterford were solely to blame for the litany of missed touches, flabby striking and poor decision-making on display, far from it. But Cork, as is often the case with a team facing the breeze, found space to more auspicious effect and weren't slow about transferring the ball to a colleague in a better position when they did. Usually, as it happened, with a short and effective pass; yesterday there was no interminable handpassing for the sake of it.

Hence Niall McCarthy's three neat points from three unhurried shots. Hence the similar scores by Pa Cronin, Neil Ronan and Diarmuid O'Sullivan, who saw little action otherwise. At the break it was Waterford 0-10 Cork 0-7, with the visitors entitled to be the happier outfit.

It took eight minutes for the first score of the new half to arrive, a Prendergast point from the right. Joe Deane replied from a free. The increasingly influential Cronin, who was not only taking up good positions but possessed the range and accuracy to produce a return for his running, weighed in with two quick points from out the field to reduce the deficit to two by the 50th minute.

If there was a turning point it occurred shortly afterwards when Clinton Hennessy made a smart save from a shot by the inrushing Ronan. A goal there and Cork would have been the ones with the following wind. But when the crunch came, Waterford had the determination and desire to raise their workrate and drive for the finishing line.

Hard won, well merited.

WATERFORD C Hennessy; E Murphy, D Prendergast, A Kearney; J Kennedy, K McGrath (0-4, 0-2 65s, 0-2 frees), J Murray; M Walsh (0-1), E Kelly (0-8, 0-6 frees); D Shanahan, K Moran (0-1), B Mullane; C Carey, S Prendergast (0-2), E McGrath Subs J Nagle for Mullane, 29 mins; N Jacob for Carey, 63 mins CORK D �g Cusack; W Sherlock, K Cronin, B Murphy; J Gardiner, R Curran (0-1), C O'Connor; K Murphy, T Kenny; P Cronin (0-3), N McCarthy (0-3), K Canty; N Ronan (0-1), D O'Sullivan (0-1), J Deane (0-2 frees) Subs M O'Connell for Kenny, 44 mins; P O'Sullivan (0-1 free) for Deane, 49 mins; T McCarthy for Canty, 57 mins; J O'Callaghan for P O'Sullivan, 70 mins Referee B Gavin (Offaly)