All-Ireland junior football championship semi-final

KILKENNY 1-13 LONDON 0-15

By Paul Keane at GAA National Games Development Centre, Abbotstown

Kilkenny are an hour from back to back All-Ireland JFC titles after holding firm to see off London for the second summer running.

A strong first-half performance laid the platform for Christy Walsh's Cats to push on for a place in Sunday's final against New York.

That will be a repeat of last year's decider though former Kilkenny hurlers Paul Murphy and Ciaran Wallace are notable absentees this season.

Kilkenny still had enough to see off London with new addition James Carroll firing five points while Kevin Blanchfield's 50th minute goal set the seal on victory.

That goal left Kilkenny four points clear though London pushed them all the way with late scores from Thomas Waters, top scorer Connor Spinks and Shay Rafter.

London came into the contest hoping for an upturn in fortunes after losing last month's All-Britain final to Warwickshire after extra-time.

But they were under pressure from the off in a high quality encounter that immediately looked a cut above the opening semi-final.

Kilkenny had 10 starters from last year's final win but it was Carroll, one of the newcomers, who stood out in the opening half.

The Bennettsbridge man fired five points from play in the half hour or so while Jim Culleton impressed with back to back scores.

Joint captain Mick Kenny and Mick Malone, who struck 3-7 between them in last season's corresponding semi-final fixture, both got on the scoresheet again too.

But it wasn't all one-way traffic and London consistently punished indiscipline in the Kilkenny defence with scores from free-takers Spinks and Rafter.

Christopher Griffin nailed a tidy score for the Stephen Lynch managed outfit too though it was Kilkenny that hit the interval 0-12 to 0-8 ahead.

London dominated the third quarter and coped better in the deteriorating conditions as rain swept in on the crosswind.

Points from Ryan McCready and Spinks cut the gap to just a point, 0-13 to 0-12.

Blanchfield's goal 10 minutes from time settled Kilkenny and gave them a vital cushion as London pushed hard to rescue a result.

The Kilkenny win means that their county football and hurling teams will contest All-Ireland finals at Croke Park on consecutive Sundays.

Kilkenny scorers: James Carroll 0-5, Kevin Blanchfield 1-0, Jamie Holohan 0-3, Jim Culleton 0-2, Mick Kenny 0-1 (0-1f), Mick Malone 0-1, Ian Duggan 0-1.

London scorers: Connor Spinks 0-7 (0-5f), Shay Rafter 0-4 (0-2f), Ryan O'Connell 0-1, Christopher Griffin 0-1, Ryan McCready 0-1, Thomas Waters 0-1.

KILKENNY: Ciaran Farnan; Shane Kelly, Nathan Sherry, James Darmody; Kevin Blanchfield, Tom Kenny, Ger Malone; Tom Aylward, Jim Culleton; Mick Malone, Jamie Holohan, Mick Kenny; James Carroll, Ian Duggan, Conor Hennessy. Subs: Ciaran Quilty for Darmody 46, Adam Mansfield for Holohan 51, Rory Monks for Duggan 55, Sean Gannon for Hennessy 63.

LONDON: Frazer Beckles; Ryan McCready, Patrick O'Connor, Eoghan Reilly; Rhys Lennon, Ciaran Houlihan, Ryan O'Connell; Ryan Forde, Christopher Griffin; Tighe Barry, Thomas Waters, Darragh Griffin; Connor Spinks, Shay Rafter, Darren Lynch. Subs: Matthew Tierney for O'Connell 46, Alfie McNulty for D Griffin 51, Ryan Kearney for Waters 55, Aidan McGarvey for Houlihan 59, Jamie Murphy for Lynch 63.

Referee: Enda McFeely (Donegal).