1956 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
 |
|||||||
| Event | 1956 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||
| Date | 23 September 1956 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | T. O'Sullivan (Limerick) | ||||||
| Attendance | 83,096 | ||||||
The 1956 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 69th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1956 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 23 September 1956, between Cork and Wexford. The Munster champions lost to their Leinster opponents on a score line of 2-14 to 2-8.
With 83,096 spectators present, this game has the second highest attendance of any hurling final since 1887. The final was delayed for a number of weeks because of an outbreak of polio in Cork.
Sunday September 23 was the date of the 1956 All-Ireland senior hurling final between Cork and Wexford. The game was postponed by three weeks due an outbreak of polio across Munster. Cork were appearing in their fourth championship decider in five years, having won the previous three finals. Wexford last appeared in the championship decider in 1955 when they defeated Galway to capture their second All-Ireland title ever. Cork and Wexford last met in the All-Ireland final in 1954 with Cork taking the spoils on that occasion.
Once again a huge crowd of 83,096 turned out in Croke Park to see another eagerly anticipated All-Ireland hurling final between these two great teams. While the attendance was marginally smaller than these sides last encounter the interest was just as great. Christy Ring was going for his ninth All-Ireland winners’ medal while Wexford were seeking the ultimate endorsement of greatness: victory over Cork in an All-Ireland final and second championship in-a-row.
At 3:15pm the sliothar was thrown-in and the game began in earnest. Cork got off to a bad start with a point by Tim Flood and a goal by Padge Kehoe giving Wexford a strong lead after just three minutes. Cork’s fortunes failed to turn when Tony O'Shaughnessy was forced to retire early with a head injury while Vincy Twomey came on as the substitute. Three points by Christy Ring and one each by Mick Regan and Éamonn Goulding kept Cork within striking distance at the interval. Wexford could have been in real trouble in the first half but for the quick thinking of Mick Morrissey who swept the sliothar away from the goal line deny Cork an almost certain goal. Tim Flood, Nicky Rackard, Martin Codd and Tom Dixon chipped in with further points for Wexford to ensure a 1-6 to 0-5 lead at half-time.
...
Wikipedia