Birr are just 60 minutes away from retaining their Leinster club hurling title following a dramatic extra-time victory over a dogged St. Martin's at O'Connor Park, Tullamore. Birr....2-19 St. Martin's.2-15 The Offaly side were pushed to the limit by the Wexford champions and needed to call on all their experience to set up an intriguing final meeting with Ballyhale Shamrocks on Sunday week. Birr defeated Ballyhale in last year's competition, but the Kilkenny champions were without the injured Henry Shefflin and James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick on that occasion. St. Martin's will be disappointed they didn't seal the deal in the normal time when Diarmuid Lyng's long range effort from a free drifted wide. The county star's frustration boiled over in the last few minutes of extra-time when he received a straight red card for a wild pull on Birr's John Paul O'Meara. St. Martin's had also finished normal time a man down after full back Ken Furlong was sent off on a second yellow card in the 58th minute. The visitors scored the first three points, only for Birr to reply with five on the trot before a brace of Paidi Kelly goals in the 15th and 17th minutes gave St. Martin's a 2-3 to 0-5 lead. Typically, Birr hit back with a goal of their own from dual star Sean Ryan in the 22nd minute to go into the break on level terms, 1-10 to 2-7. Birr got a lucky break in the 39th minute when Darragh Molloy's deflected shot ended up in the net. It put them a point ahead and they extended their lead to two before pointed frees from Lyng in the 54th and 61st minutes forced extra-time. The four-time All-Ireland champions took control in the first period of extra-time when they shot four unanswered points, following by another four early in the second period. All that St. Martin's could muster in reply was a point from Barry Lambert in the final minute as Birr ran out four-point winners. Tweet

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