The sun is about to set on another memorable hurling championship year but the ultimate prize has still to be handed out with three left in the running. How did all the other counties fare out...

1. KILKENNY (no change)

The Cats survived an almighty scare against Limerick in last Sunday's semi-final but goals from Richie Hogan and Richie Power in either half saw Brian Cody's charges edge an exciting encounter - 2-13 to 0-17. With the Division 1 and Leinster SHC silverware already neatly tucked away in the trophy cabinet, they are just 70 minutes away from a 34th All-Ireland senior success and there's few who would bet against them.

2. CORK (no change)

Jimmy Barry-Murphy and his charges will travel to Croke Park on Sunday to take on rivals Tipperary in the last four of the All-Ireland SHC in a confident frame of mind. After impressive victories over Waterford (after a replay) and All-Ireland champions Clare, they savoured their first Munster SHC success since 2006 at Limerick's expense. Dual star Aidan Walsh and the emergence of Alan Cadogan have been central to their improvement this year.

3. LIMERICK (up 3)

Limerick hurling followers are tired of moral victories but they couldn't help but be proud of their players' efforts against Kilkenny last Sunday. With a little bit of luck it could have been TJ Ryan and his players who were starting their preparations for an All-Ireland final on Sunday, September 7th this week. They relinquished their Munster SHC crown but the County Board have acted quickly to appoint Ryan as manager on a three-year basis and they appear to be heading in the right direction.

4. TIPPERARY (no change)

Eamon O'Shea and his selectors breathed a sigh of relief after his team got the better of Galway in the All-Ireland SHC qualifiers. It was the former coach's first championship win as manager and it sent them on the road to the semi-final stage. Offaly and Dublin were subsequently dispatched but Munster champions Cork represent a major step up in class. A close one to call, the Premier County have every reason to approach the penultimate hurdle with optimism.

5. WEXFORD (up 4)

There was no fairytale ending for Liam Dunne and Wexford following their heroics against Clare and Waterford as they ran out of steam against Limerick in the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final. They did, however, succeed in proving they will be a force to be reckoned with in coming years and have targeted a strong showing in next year's Leinster SHC. Another Leinster U-21 title in the bag and the future looks bright for the Model County.

6. CLARE (down 4)

The Banner County's crown may have slipped but Davy Fitzgerald has been handed a further three years at the helm and expect a backlash from them in 2015. They fell a long way short of the high standards they set themselves when claiming the county's fourth All-Ireland success 12 months ago and failed to win a championship fixture, losing to Cork and Wexford. The only positive note for them is that the break should do their talented young players good.

7. GALWAY (no change)

Galway hurling is stuck at a crossroads. They gave Kilkenny their fill of it in the Leinster SFC semi-final before losing out in the replay and exited the qualifiers at the hands of Tipperary on a scoreline of 3-25 to 4-13. When you add in their close call against Laois, it was a year to forget for the Tribesmen. Question marks hang over Anthony Cunningham's future as manager after his three-year term came to an end.

8. DUBLIN (no change)

Never mind the results, the fact that Dublin failed to perform in both the Leinster final against Kilkenny and the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tipperary is a source of major disappointment for manager Anthony Daly. A semi-final victory over Wexford is all the metropolitans have to show for their efforts and the two-time All-Ireland winning Clare captain is currently mulling over his future. After the highs of last year's long overdue provincial success, they were brought back down to earth with a bang.

9. WATERFORD (no change)

Waterford raised their game to force a replay with Cork in their Munster SHC opener but played second fiddle second time around. They accounted for Laois in the qualifiers but disappointed when making their exit to neighbours Wexford next day out. It was a baptism of fire for new manager Derek McGrath who will be expected to reverse the downward spiral in 2016. He has some fine young hurlers to work with.

10. LAOIS (no change)

Seamus 'Cheddar' Plunkett's charges transferred their positive league showing into championship, where they mounted another great challenge to only just fall short against Galway, 1-22 to 0-23. A qualifier defeat to Waterford followed but it has been a year of progress on the hurling front for the O'Moore County.

11. OFFALY (up 1)

Brian Whelahan's charges gained revenge for their league relegation play-off to Antrim when knocking the Saffrons out of the qualifiers (2-19 to 1-20) in Ballycastle. Heavy defeats to Kilkenny and Tipperary rubbed salt into Faithful County wounds, however, and there are not too many managers who would be willing to trade places with Whelahan.

12. ANTRIM (down 1)

Four wins out of four in the Leinster qualifier group stage gave Kevin Ryan's side hope, but a 5-19 to 0-21 defeat to Wexford in the Leinster quarter-final stopped them in their tracks. Offaly finished off the job in the first round of the qualifiers before the stuttered to a one-point Ulster SHC final victory over Derry.

13. CARLOW (no change)

John Meyler's charges had little difficulty in qualifying for the Division 2A final but fell to Kerry in the decider. The Barrowsiders' focus then moved to the Leinster qualifier group stage but defeats to Laois, Antrim and a draw with London meant they failed to progress. Meyler stepped aside following their disappointing championship campaign.

14. KERRY (no change)

An unblemished Division 2A league campaign saw the Kingdom take the honours. An unlucky defeat to Offaly ended their promotion hopes and, despite coasting through to the Christy Ring Cup final, they lost out in the decider for the second year in succession, this time to Kildare.

15. DERRY (no change)

Ger Rogan's charges' Christy Ring Cup campaign came to an end at the quarter-final stages at the hands of Kildare, 2-16 to 0-10, but they ran Antrim to a point in the Ulster decider.

16. WESTMEATH (no change)

A very disappointing Division 2A league was backed up with a Leinster championship campaign which saw Brian Hanley's men only manage one win. Their only saving grace is that they secured their Liam McCarthy Cup status for next year with a win over Christy Ring Cup winners Kildare before Hanley stepped down.

17. LONDON (no change)

London managed to hold onto their Division 2A status but with no wins in the Leinster championship qualifiers group the Exiles had little to cheer about this year.

18. KILDARE (no change)

The Lilywhites surrendered their Division 2A status after securing just one point yet, in a remarkable turnaround, went on to win the Christy Ring Cup with a fantastic triumph over a fancied Kerry side.

19. WICKLOW (no change)

The Garden County defied the odds to secure a quick return to Division 2A after defeating Down in the Division 2B decider. Wicklow brought eventual winners Kildare to a replay in the early stages of the Christy Ring Cup before falling to Mayo in the quarter-final.

20. DOWN (no change)

Down lost out to Wicklow in the Division 2B league final after winning all five of their divisional games. The defending Christy Ring Cup champions didn't enjoy a good championship campaign, however, and had to beat Armagh in the relegation play-off to preserve their championship status for next season.

21. MEATH (no change)

Meath once again fell short in their efforts to escape Division 2B of the league and a comprehensive 1-18 to 0-13 defeat to Kildare in the semi-final of the Christy Ring Cup brought their season to a close.

22. MAYO (no change)

The Westerners were the fourth-placed team in Division 2B and lost out to Kerry in the semi-final of the Christy Ring Cup. There is work needed but the Mayo men will take solace in their championship victory over promotion winners Wicklow.

23. ARMAGH (no change)

2014 brought little cheer for Armagh. They surrendered their Christy Ring Cup status but managed to stay in Division 2B of the Allianz League thanks to a playoff victory over Fingal.

24. FINGAL (no change)

Fingal, after winning promotion from Division 3A last year, have been sent back where they came from. Their fall from grace was compounded by a narrow loss to Tyrone in the Nicky Rackard Cup final, who played their league campaign two levels below the North Dublin outfit.

25. TYRONE (no change)

Tyrone won promotion from Division 3B, beating Leitrim in the final, and rounded off a terrific year when they landed the Nicky Rackard Cup with a one-point win over Fingal.

26. DONEGAL (no change)

The Tir Chonaill men followed up their Division 3A league final win over Roscommon with an emphatic 2-16 to 0-8 triumph over Fingal to gain promotion. Overall, a successful year, despite failing to reach the heights of last year's Nicky Rackard Cup success.

27. ROSCOMMON (no change)

The Rossies topped the Division 3A league table but failed to make the ascent after losing to Donegal in the decider. Their Nicky Rackard Cup campaign ended in disappointment.

28. MONAGHAN (no change)

The Farney won two games in Division 3A, including a four-point win over table toppers Roscommon. But they were unable to make any impact in the Rackard Cup.

29. FERMANAGH (no change)

A mid-table Division 3A league finish was swiftly followed by a good Lory Meagher Cup run which saw them fall at the final hurdle to Longford, 3-18 to 3-16.

30. LONGFORD (no change)

The blow of relegation from Division 3B was softened by the Lory Meagher triumph over Fermanagh.

31. LOUTH (no change)

The Wee County avoided demotion from Division 3A before failing to make an impression in the Nicky Rackard Cup.

32. LEITRIM (no change)

The Connacht side have come on since last year and were unlucky to miss out on promotion from Division 3B of the Allianz League.

33. WARWICKSHIRE (no change)

Warwickshire endured a disappointing Division 3B campaign which yielded just one victory. Their defence of the Meagher Cup was equally disappointing.

34. SLIGO (no change)

The Allianz League tables don't lie and things went from bad to worse when Sligo were relegated from the Nicky Rackard Cup to the Lory Meagher Cup for next season. Tweet

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