Leinster Senior Hurling Championship final replay

Galway 1-28, Kilkenny 3-15

Galway retained the Bob O’Keeffe Cup with a second Leinster Senior Hurling Championship victory over Kilkenny this season – and, who knows, another duel could be on the cards in August.

The new-look championship featured a home win for Galway in the round-robin series and an exciting draw at Croke Park last Sunday.

Semple Stadium hosted the replay and didn’t disappoint either. A game which Galway threatened to win at their ease turned into a pulsating contest in front of over 25,000 fans.

The Tribesmen fired into a 1-9 to 0-1 lead before the 20^th minute, but Kilkenny came storming back and got within a single score with just over 15 minutes remaining, before the reigning champions lifted their game again and surged ahead for a deserved win.

Full forward Jonathan Glynn scored Galway’s first goal and all of their six starting forwards got on the scoresheet in a blistering opening, which saw them lead by 1-15 to 0-6 at one stage.

Ger Aylward kicked the ball to the net to give Kilkenny a glimmer of hope, but it was still 1-16 to 1-8 at the break.

Substitutes Colin Fennelly and Richie Hogan played key roles in the Kilkenny revival after the resumption, with the experienced duo scoring a goal apiece.

Eventually, the gap was cut to just one – 1-20 to 3-13 – and Galway were under huge pressure. But Joe Canning and Cathal Mannion answered the call and they hit five of the game’s last six points to bring an end to a thrilling championship.

Scorers for Galway: Joe Canning 0-10 (6f) Cathal Mannion 0-6, Conor Whelan 0-4, Jonathan Glynn 1-1, Niall Burke 0-2, Aidan Harte 0-2, Joseph Cooney 0-1, Conor Cooney 0-1, J Flynn 0-1

Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid 0-9 (6f, 1 ’65) Colin Fennelly 1-1, Richie Hogan 1-1, Ger Aylward 1-0, Joey Holden 0-1, Conor Fogarty 0-1, James Maher 0-1, John Donnelly 0-1,

GALWAY: James Skehill; Adrian Tuohey, Daithi Burke, John Hanbury; Padraig Mannion, Gearoid McInerney, Aidan Harte; Johnny Coen, David Bourke; Joseph Cooney, Joe Canning, Niall Burke; Conor Whelan, Jonathan Glynn, Cathal Mannion. Subs: Conor Cooney for Niall Burke (46), Jason Flynn for Joseph Cooney (61), Sean Loftus for David Burke (69)

KILKENNY: Eoin Murphy; Paul Murphy, Padraig Walsh; Paddy Deegan, Joey Holden, Cillian Buckley, Enda Morrissey; Conor Fogarty, James Maher; John Donnelly, TJ Reid, Richie Leahy; Billy Ryan, Walter Walsh, Ger Aylward. Subs: Liam Blanchfield for Walter Walsh (18), Richie Hogan for Billy Ryan (half-time), Colin Fennelly for Richie Leahy (half-time), Robert Lennon for Enda Morrissey (48), Luke Scanlon for John Donnelly (62)