Although it took Waterford a while to settle in this forgettable final, they staged a strong second half display to take victory by the minimum of margins.

UCC were guilty of 12 first half wides but held a 0-7 to 0-4 interval lead, thanks to points from Eoghan Murphy, Eanna Martin and Shane Burke, with free-taker Maurice Shanahan keeping Waterford in touch.

However, a wind-assisted Waterford turned the game in their favour on the restart as they held the students to just four second half points.

Shanahan added points before a 38th minute goal from Martin O'Neill pushed Davy Fitzgerald's men in front for the first time on a 1-6 to 0-7 scoreline.

Four minutes later, Kelly was sent to the line for a bad pull on a UCC player and he was also seen clashing with a UCC mentor as he made his way off the pitch.

But his team-mates did enough to maintain their advantage on the scoreboard and lift the Waterford Crystal Cup for the first time in the county's history.