Wexford’s PJ Nolan contests a breaking ball with Waterford’s Declan Prendergast at Bushy Park on Sunday evening.

Wexford’s PJ Nolan contests a breaking ball with Waterford’s Declan Prendergast at Bushy Park on Sunday evening.

Waterford 2-18; Wexford 3-17

Four points in the last six minutes, three from the stick of Rory Jacob, helped Wexford record a two-point victory over Waterford on Sunday evening last in an exhibition game marking the official opening of the new facilities at Bushy Park, home of the Brickey Rangers Club.
Davy Fitzgerald paraded just five of the players that started in the recent Munster semi-final win over Clare, with Wexford fielding seven of the side beaten by Galway in the Leinster quarter-final a few weeks back.
While on paper Waterford had the stronger line-up, Colm Bonnar and Wexford will be the happier going into their All-Ireland qualifier against Tipperary next week.
The break came with Waterford leading by 0-10 to 0-6 with four of the Deise points coming from Eoin McGrath at corner-forward, who surely did his chances of making the Munster Final XV no harm.
The second half began with both sides introducing a number of fresh players and the first of the game’s five goals arrived seven minutes after the re-start when Rory Jacob set up Stephen Banville to put the ball past Adrian Power in the Waterford goal, and give the yellow bellies a 1-8 to 0-10 lead.
Waterford’s first goal followed three minutes later when Shane Casey blasted past Noel Carton.
The best goal of the game followed on 47 minutes when a long delivery from the middle of the field was latched onto by Rory Jacob who put the sliotar beyond Power on the volley.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full match report.