TJ Reid and Walter Walsh were Kilkenny's go-to men as they scraped past a determined Offaly side at blustery O'Connor Park, 0-24 to 1-19.

The sides were level as we passed the 70-minute mark in a breathless encounter but Reid and Walsh stepped forward with the last two scores of the game, bringing their tallies to 0-12 and 0-4 respectively. Liam Blanchfield registered three times for the winners, while Cillian Buckley was immense.

Meanwhile, Shane Dooley (0-8), Joe Bergin, Conor Mahon, Shane Kinsella and Colin Egan produced some real moments of magic for the luckless losers, who emerge from the match with a huge degree of credit.

Full forward Mahon's scrappy goal two minutes from the break fired Kevin Martin's charges into a 1-10 to 0-10 interval lead, with six different Offaly players registering from play during those opening 35 minutes. With the strong wind behind them, the home side outscored their opponents by 1-6 to three points in the last 19 minutes of the opening period.

The sides shared six points inside the opening ten minutes and a soft Reid free into the wind flew over to restore the Cats' lead, but the determined Faithfuls drew level again with another excellent strike from distance, this one courtesy of Dan Currams off his left.

Walsh's second made it 0-5 to 0-4 in favour of the Black & Amber, who had soared 0-3 to 0-1 ahead with points from Ger Aylward, Walsh and Reid (free) after Mahon opened the scoring. Midfielder Kinsella and Cillian Kiely clipped over the hosts' second and third scores but they fell two adrift in the 15^th minute when Reid tapped over a decidedly easy and soft free.

Reid pointed from play moments later after an Offaly error at the back but the underdogs were ultra-competitive throughout and they hit back with four successive scores to power ahead by eight points to seven: Dooley's free brought them back to within two with 20 minutes played before Bergin slotted a mesmerising point across his shoulder to again reduce the arrears to the minimum - that Bergin score was undoubtedly one of the finest of the weekend - and it was level again after 24 minutes when Dooley arrowed a free straight over the black spot from 60 metres.

Kinsella's epic hit from inside his own '65' nudged the Faithful County back ahead but Blanchfield gathered a Walter Walsh pass to tie the scores up for the fifth time approaching the 30-minute mark. The lead changed hands again when Mahon kicked the ball to the Kilkenny net for the game's only goal in the 33^rd minute after James Maher had pointed at the other end.

A routine Reid free was cancelled out brilliantly by Egan from tremendous distance and there was a four-point swing on the stroke of the short whistle when Egan planted his second point after a Richie Reid 'goal' at the other end was ruled out.

There was a sense of inevitability in the cool air as the Cats crept ahead within eight minutes of the restart with Blanchfield and Reid (frees) registering twice apiece. Substitute John Donnelly stretched the gap to two after Reid and Dooley fired over two apiece and yet another Reid free - his tenth of the game - made it a three-point game with less than 20 minutes left, 0-18 to 1-12.

Offaly, to their credit, did not wilt. Dooley pinged over an immense effort on 55 minutes and it was squeaky-bum time in Tullamore when Egan pounced to leave the minimum between the sides going down the home straight. Maher steadied Brian Cody's men with his second point and Donnelly registered via the upright on the hour after a close-range Dooley free left the Faithfuls again within touching distance.

Incredibly, it was all square again when David King and Bergin fired over Offaly scores much to the delight of the vociferous home support. When it really mattered, though, Reid and Walsh arrowed over a couple of quickfire points for the Cats but a Dooley wonderscore and a pointed free from the same player tied the scores up yet again with 69 minutes on the clock.

Kilkenny's twin terrors settled it: Reid's free in the first of three added minutes pushed the visitors back in front and Walsh gathered possession to fire over his fourth score right at the death as the Noresiders fell over the line into the last four, where they will face either Wexford or holders Galway on a date yet to be determined.

Kilkenny - D Brennan; J Holden, P Walsh, P Deegan; C Delaney, C Buckley, C Browne; R Leahy, O Walsh; L Blanchfield (0-3), TJ Reid (0-12, 9f), J Maher (0-2); G Aylward (0-1), W Walsh (0-4), R Reid. Subs: L Scanlon for G Aylward, J Donnelly (0-2) for O Walsh, L Ryan for R Leahy, E Morrissey for C Browne, A Murphy for R Reid.

Offaly - E Cahill; T Spain, S Gardiner, B Conneely; D O'Toole, D Shortt, P Camon; S Kinsella (0-2), D King (0-1); C Mahon (1-2), C Kiely (0-1), C Egan (0-2); S Dooley (0-8, 5f), J Bergin (0-2), D Currams (0-1). Subs: P Rigney for S Gardiner, O Kelly for C Kiely, D Egan for S Kinsella, T Geraghty for C Egan, S Ryan for P Rigney.

Referee - P O'Dwyer.

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