Galway are 2009 All-Ireland minor hurling champions after a tremendous 2-15 to 2-11 victory over defending champions Kilkenny at watery Croke Park. With midfielders David Glennon and James Regan pulling the strings, the winners took control of proceedings in the second quarter to lead by 2-9 to 1-5 at the break, with No.13 Richie Cummins grabbing both majors. Kilkenny came back within a point in the second half but Galway then showed their class to deservedly prevail. The match had a rip-roaring start as Donie Fox fired Galway ahead with a point after only 15 seconds but Cillian Buckley levelled with a fine solo effort a minute later. Shane Maloney restored the Tribe advantage but Sean Kehoe struck an instant equaliser before Cathal Kenny made it 0-3 to 0-2 in Kilkenny's favour with less than three minutes played! Jason Grealish finished an excellent Galway move with a super point in the fifth minute. In the sixth minute, Richie Cummins latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the square to strike the game's opening goal and put the Connacht county three clear. Walter Walsh pulled a point back straight away and good goalkeeping from Fergal Flannery preceded a magnificent Cummins point which made it 1-4 to 0-4 after seven minutes. The scores continued to rain down and Martin Gaffney got in behind the Galway defence to deliver the equalising goal in the eighth minute before midfielder Kenny popped over the lead point. It was an astonishing exhibition of attacking play from both teams, which had the Cats ahead by 1-5 to 1-4 after ten minutes. Excellent defending by the brilliant Daithi Burke and a wonderful run through the heart of the Kilkenny defence by James Regan resulted in a Galway 65, which Niall Burke sent wide in the 16th minute. Prior to this, there had also been wides from Burke, Kehoe and Richie Doyle as a slight scoring drought took hold. But Burke popped over a 17th-minute free to level the contest. There were further wides at either end and it was left to Grealish to clip over the lead point for the westerners in the 20th minute, 1-6 to 1-5. Galway almost got a second goal in the 22nd minute when Joe Cooney's delivery struck the crossbar and caused all manner of consternation in the Kilkenny defence but the result was a 65, which Burke converted. Niall Burke then landed an excellent point from play after the graft was done by Daithi Burke, Fox and Ronan Badger. Not for the first time, Galway custodian Flannery showed a safe pair of hands on the slippery sliothar as the rain continued to pour down in Dublin 9. Burke went for goal from a close-range free after a foul on Badger but his shot was blocked by Doyle - as was the follow-up from the full forward. However, the No.11 bagged his fourth point from a long-range free just shy of the short whistle. Cummins hit his second goal in first-half injury time after tremendous work from Maloney and that score ensured that Mattie Murphy's men led comfortably by 2-9 to 1-5 at the interval, having hit 1-5 without reply. In contrast, the young Cats had failed to register a score for 22 minutes. With Kehoe withdrawn during the break, Gaffney assumed free-taking duties for the Noresiders and he reduced the gap with a free upon the resumption before two dangerous attacks were repelled by Flannery and Cooney. Gaffney was unlucky when he failed to connect with a fleeting goal chance as Kilkenny continued to attack in waves, but Ollie Walsh demonstrated impressive pace to break through from midfield and tag on the Leinster champions' seventh point. The game was back in the melting pot when Buckley sprinted through the Galway defence to slam a superb goal to the net in the 40th minute. Within seconds, Cannice Maher sent over a point for the rousing Cats. Incredibly, the seven-point half-time deficit had been pared down to just a single point. Fox steadied Galway with an exquisite finish from distance and Doyle and Danny Kenny took it in turns to show some great Kilkenny defending. In the 45th minute, Gaffney knocked over the point (free) that made it a one-point game with three-quarters of the match played: 2-10 to 2-9. Glennon drove an inspirational point straight over the black spot from way out the field and Buckley replied with a lovely Kilkenny score after clever build-up play. Niall Burke was enduring an afternoon to forget from frees but Gaffney also missed a relatively simple one at the other end after a foul on Geoff Brennan. Mattie Murphy changed his free-taker and the move paid immediate dividends when 16-year-old Maloney connected perfectly with a free from distance: 2-12 to 2-10 after 51 minutes. Maloney obliged from a free as Galway closed in on the silverware and Glennon drilled over his second mighty point five minutes from the end to put four in it. Gaffney (free) and substitute Tadhg Haran traded scores as the gap remained at four. A minute of injury time was added and Galway held on for a wonderful win. Galway: F Flannery; J Coen, D Burke, Conor Burke; M Keating, B Flaherty, J Cooney; J Regan, D Glennon (0-2); D Fox (0-2), N Burke (0-4), J Grealish (0-2); R Cummins (2-1), R Badger, S Maloney (0-3). Subs: M Horan, T Haran (0-1), N Keary. Kilkenny: J Power; J Lyng, D Kenny, I Duggan; J Gannon, R Doyle, L Harney; C Kenny (0-2), O Walsh (0-1); G Brennan, S Kehoe (0-1), C Buckley (1-2); M Gaffney (1-3), W Walsh (0-1), C Maher (0-1). Subs: S Phelan, G Aylward, P Walsh. Tweet

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