a 21-yard free to help his county to a 7–2 to 5–4 victory. It was his first All-Ireland medal with Cork, in what was his last game in the minor grade. In 1939 Ring went on to become the youngest member of the Cork junior hurling team. There was no place for him in defence and he was seen as too vital a player to be left out of the starting fifteen, so instead he was moved to the forwards. Cork were fancied to retain their junior crown for a second year, however, Waterford got the better of them in their opening game. Senior career Beginnings Ring made his first appearance for the Cork senior team when he was introduced as a substitute in a tournament game against Limerick in early 1939. Later that year on 22 October, he made his first competitive start when Cork played the newly crowned All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the opening round of the 1939–40 National Hurling League. Ring marked four-time All-Ireland medal winner Paddy Phelan and, after a nervous start, settled into the game and scored a point in the 6-5 to 4-7 victory. Cork progressed through the league and qualified for the final against Tipperary. Ring, who was the youngest player on the Cork team, was named at right wing-forward and was one of the many goal-scorers in a 14-goal thriller. Cork won by 8-9 to 6-4 and he collected his first league medal. Ring retained the position of right wing-forward on Cork's subsequent championship team and made his championship debut on 2 June 1940 in a 6-3 to 2-6 Munster quarter-final defeat of Tipperary. Four-in-a-row Cork were undefeated throughout their 1940-41 league campaign and qualified for a second successive league final. A 4-11 to 2-7 defeat of Dublin gave Ring a second league medal. Cork were well placed going into the subsequent championship and were drawn to play Tipperary in the Munster semi-final. An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Tipperary changed matters and the match was called off the previous Monday by order of the Department of Agriculture. Tipperary, and other counties affected by the disease, wanted officials to put back the All-Ireland final, but Central Council would not agree. The council ruled that teams be nominated and if a nominated team won the All-Ireland that team would be awarded the 1941 championship. The Munster Council decided that Cork and Limerick should