Kilkenny will face Wexford in the 2019 Leinster minor hurling championship final after both sides came through their respective semi-finals this afternoon.

In Newbridge, two first-half goals helped an impressive Kilkenny outfit to a 2-20 to 0-15 victory over Kildare, ensuring the Cats a return to the eastern province’s decider for a third successive year.

Richie Mulrooney’s charges bagged their goals through Tommy Clifford and Colman O’Sullivan in the 14th and 21st minutes to take control of this last four contest, as they went in at the break leading by 11 points (2-11 to 0-6).

Points from Jack Higgins and David Qualter (free) helped the Lilywhites get a run of scores going but they never really got within touching distance of the fired-up visitors.

Wexford made their goals count as they got pushed all the way by Dublin at Parnell Park, where it finished 2-16 to 0-19 in favour of the young Slaneysiders.

The visitors had led by 0-7 to 0-3 when AJ Redmond rattled the Dubs’ net with a free on 18 minutes and they’d goal again two minutes before half-time through Dylan O’Neill from close range to take in a 2-10 to 0-7 advantage.

Ben McSweeney’s scores got the capital lads motoring early on in the restart and through more points from Jack Murray, Charlie Keher and Conall Ó Tuathai they’d made it a one-point game with six minutes of regulation left.

The game was well and truly anybodies in the late stages but Wexford managed to hold their nerve and stroke over points via Conor Foley and Cian Byrne which proved enough to set-up a final date with the Cats on June 29th.

Kilkenny - A Tallis; B Reid, W Halpin, T Roche; P McDonald (0-1), P Moylan, J Aylward; A Hickey (0-1), D Walsh; J Doyle (0-1), C O'Sullivan (1-0), L Moore; B Drennan (0-10, 6f), T Clifford (1-5), I Byrne (0-1). Subs: P Blanchfield for J Doyle, S Doyle for L Moore, Z Bay Hammond for D Walsh, A Murphy for C O'Sullivan, B Wheeler (0-1) for I Byrne.

Kildare - A Hackett; P O'Donoghue, S Conway, M Eustace; P Dolan, C Shanahan, E Kelliher; F O'Sullivan (0-1), C Boran; C O'Donovan, R Stapleton, J Higgins (0-2); D Melville (0-3), C McCabe (0-3f), D Qualter (0-6, 5f). Subs: D McMahon for M Eustace, A O'Brien for R Stapleton, A Mooney for P Dolan, E McConnon for J Higgins, J Owens for C Boran.

Referee - T Gleeson.

**

Wexford - Cian Byrne (St Marys); D Whelan, K Scallan, J Conroy; J Moran, C Molloy (0-1f), E Cullen; J Kirwan, L Kavanagh; J Sheil, D O'Neill (1-0), R Lawlor (0-3); AJ Redmond (1-8, 0-7f), P Whitty (0-1), D Cantwell. Subs: C Foley (0-2) for D O'Neill, C Browne for E Cullen, D O'Leary for P Whitty, Cian Byrne (St Mogues) (0-1) for J Sheil, D Codd for L Kavanagh.

Dublin - E O'Connor; C Burke, D Crowe, T O'Brien; A Waddick, F O Murchu, C O Cathasaigh; J Flanagan, C Walsh; B McSweeney (0-12, 11f, 1'65), C Murray (0-3), R Malone; D Purcell (0-1), L Swan, B Scanlon. Subs: C Keher (0-1) for R Malone, J O'Brien (0-1'65) for C Burke, C O Tuathail (0-1) for B Scanlon, A Keegan for J Flanagan.

Referee - S Guinan.

Tweet

Most Read Stories