It turned into a disappointingly one-sided affair when they met in last year's GAA All- Ireland hurling final but a much more competitive contest is expected next Sunday when Kilkenny and Waterford clash in the semi-final at Croke Park for the right to play Limerick or Tipperary in the final on September 6. Kilkenny, bidding for a fourth successive All-Ireland win this year, arrive in Croke Park off an extended unbeaten run, the latest of which saw them retain the Leinster title with wins over Galway and Dublin. Waterford took a more circuitous route to the semi-final, drawing with Limerick before winning the replay and advancing to the Munster final where they lost to Tipperary. However, they bounced back in the All-Ireland quarter-final where they emulated Kilkenny by beating Galway, albeit in different circumstances. Paths to the Semi-finals Kilkenny Kilkenny 2-20 Galway 3-13 (Leinster semi-final) Kilkenny 2-18 Dublin 0-18 (Leinster final) Average For: 2-19 Average Against: 1-17 Kilkenny Scorers Henry Shefflin.........0-16 (0-12 frees, 0-1 '65') Martin Comerford...2-4 Aidan Fogarty.........1-4 Eoin Larkin.............0-7 Eddie Brennan........1-1 Derek Lyng.............0-3 TJ Reid...................0-1 Michael Rice..........0-1 Tommy Walsh.......0-1 Waterford Waterford 0-11 Limerick 1-8 (Munster semi-final) Draw Waterford 0-25 Limerick 0-17 (Munster semi-final) Replay Tipperary 4-14 Waterford 2-16 (Munster final) Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-18 (All-Ireland quarter-final) Average For: 1-17; Average Against: 1-15 Waterford Scorers Eoin Kelly......................1-37 (1-33 frees, 0-1 '65') John Mullane............... 1-16 Seamus Prendergast.....0-6 Stephen Molumphy..... 0-3 Shane Walsh.................1-0 Kevin Moran.................0-2 Shane O'Sullivan........ .0-1 Jack Kennedy.............. 0-1 Dan Shanahan..............0-1 Richie Foley..................0-1 Last Championship Clash Kilkenny 3-30 Waterford 1-13 (2008 All-Ireland final) Kilkenny crushed Waterford with a brilliant performance which took them to the easiest of victories. Kilkenny led by 0-6 to 0-3 after eleven minutes but by half-time they were 2-16 to 0-5 ahead after a string of scores, including two goals from Eddie Brennan. Eoin Larkin added another Kilkenny goal in the 48th minute as they raced to a 26-point win. Kilkenny: PJ Ryan; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, J Tyrrell; T Walsh, B Hogan, JJ Delaney; 'Cha' Fitzpatrick (0-2), D Lyng (0-3); H Shefflin (0-8), M Comerford, E Larkin (1-4); E Brennan (2-4), R Power (0-2), A Fogarty (0-3). Subs: TJ Reid (0-4) for Comerford, J McGarry for Ryan. Waterford: C Hennessy; A Kearney, D Prendergast, E Murphy; T Browne, K McGrath, K Moran; M Walsh, J Nagle; D Shanahan, S Molumphy, S Prendergast; E McGrath, J Mullane (0-3), E Kelly (1-9). Subs: J Kennedy for S Prendergast, P Flynn for E McGrath, S O'Sullivan for D Prendergast, D Bennett (0-1) for Shanahan. Last Competitive Clash Waterford 2-17 Kilkenny 1-16 (NHL, 2 March 2009, Walsh Park) An early season boost for Waterford for whom goals by Dan Shanahan and Stephen Molumphy proved crucial. Waterford: C Hennessy; E Murphy, D Prendergast, N Connors; R Foley, M Walsh, J Murray; S O'Sullivan, J Nagle (0-1); G Hurney, K McGrath (0-9), S Molumphy (1-0); J Kennedy, S Prendergast (0-4), S Walsh (0-1). Subs: E Kelly (0-1), D Shanahan (1-1), P Hurney for S Prendergast, M Shanahan for P Hurney. Kilkenny: PJ Ryan; J Dalton, S Cummins, J Tyrrell; T Walsh, B Hogan, J Ryall (0-1); J Tennyson (0-2), M Rice (0-1); E Brennan (0-2), W O'Dwyer, E Larkin (0-1); M Grace (0-1), R Power (1-7), A Fogarty (0-1). Subs: TJ Reid for Walsh, C Hickey for Tyrrell, R Hogan for Fogarty. Previous Kilkenny-Waterford Championship Clashes This will be the 8th championship meeting between Kilkenny and Waterford. Kilkenny won five of the previous seven to Waterford's one while there was one draw. Waterford's sole success came in the 1959 All-Ireland final replay. 2008: Kilkenny 3-30 Waterford 1-13 (All-Ireland final) 2004: Kilkenny 3-12 Waterford 0-18 (All-Ireland semi-final) 1998: Kilkenny 1-11 Waterford 1-10 (All-Ireland semi-final) 1963: Kilkenny 4-17 Waterford 6-8 (All-Ireland final) 1959: Waterford 3-12 Kilkenny 1-10 (All-Ireland final replay) 1959: Waterford 1-17 Kilkenny 5-5 (All-Ireland final draw) 1957: Kilkenny 4-10 Waterford 3-12 (All-Ireland final) GAA All-IRELAND HURLING SF SHORTS Kilkenny have remained unbeaten in the championship since losing to Galway in the 2005 All-Ireland semi-final. They have won 16 successive games since then. Waterford are bidding to reach the All-Ireland final for a second successive year, something they never previously achieved. Kilkenny are attempting to reach the All-Ireland final for the 10th time in twelve years. The only seasons they missed out on in that period were 2001 and 2005 when they lost on both occasions to Galway in the All-Ireland semifinal. It's 50 years since Waterford recorded their sole championship victory over Kilkenny when they beat them by 3-12 to 1-10 in the 1959 All-Ireland final replay. Kilkenny beat Waterford by 3-12 to 0-18 the last time the counties met in the All-Ireland semi-final in 2004. GAA SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 Leinster May 30: First round: Wexford 2-17 Offaly 0-16, Wexford Park. May 31: First Round: Galway 5-29 Laois 0-17, Portlaoise. June 7: First Round: Dublin 2-16 Antrim 0-12, Croke Park. June 20: Semi-final: Kilkenny 2-20 Galway 3-13, Tullamore. June 21: Dublin 0-18 Wexford 1-13, Nowlan Park. July 5: Final: Kilkenny 2-18 Dublin 0-18, Croke Park. Munster May 31: First round: Tipperary 1-19 Cork 0-19, Thurles. June 14: Semi-final: Limerick 1-8 Waterford 0-11, Semple Stadium. June 20: Semi-final replay: Waterford 0-25 Limerick 0-17, Semple Stadium. June 21: Semi-final: Tipperary 3-18 Clare 1-22, Limerick. July 12: Final: Tipperary 4-14 Waterford 2-16, Thurles. Ulster May 9: First round: Fermanagh 0-13 Cavan 1-9, Enniskillen; Armagh 1-22 Monaghan 1-8, Armagh; Donegal 1-21 Tyrone 0-6, Letterkenny. May 17: Second Round: Armagh 3-24 Donegal 2-12. May 23: London 1-23 Fermanagh 0-7, Ruislip. May 31: Quarter-finals: Derry 4-10 London 3-12; Down 5-21 Armagh 0-13. (Both in Casement Park). June 14: Semi-final: Down 2-17 Derry 1-15, Casement Park. June 28: Final: Antrim 3-20 Down 4-15, Casement Park. All-Ireland Qualifiers July 4: Phase One: Cork 3-19 Offaly 1-12, Tullamore; Laois 0-18 Antrim 1-12, Portlaoise. July 11: Galway 2-18 Clare 1-11, Ennis; Limerick 1-13 Wexford 0-14, Wexford Park. July 18: Phase Three: Galway 1-19 Cork 0-15, Thurles; Limerick 0-20 Laois 1-14, Thurles. All-Ireland Quarter-finals July 26: Limerick 2-18 Dublin 1-17, Thurles; Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-18, Thurles. All-Ireland semi-finals Next Sunday: Kilkenny v Waterford, Croke Park. August 16: Tipperary v Limerick, Croke Park. Final September 6: Croke Park. Tweet

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