Bord Gáis Energy Leinster U-21 Hurling Final

Kilkenny 0-30 Wexford 1-14

A sparkling performance delivered by stars all over the field helped Kilkenny capture the Leinster under-21 hurling title.

The Cats picked up their first piece of provincial silverware in the grade since 2012 by picking off 30 points against 14-man Wexford at Nowlan Park.

The turning point, as far as Wexford were concerned, centred on the 19th minute dismissal of Brian Quigley, who was red-carded for a pull on Richie Leahy.

All of a sudden Kilkenny had more space in which to flow about the pitch - they didn’t waste the opportunity.

Kilkenny made a great start to the game, opening well with points from Billy Ryan, Richie Leahy and Alan Murphy (free) but they were hauled back in when Wexford struck a hammer blow on seven minutes.

Stephen O’Gorman did the damage, rising highest to catch Joe O’Connor’s probing sideline cut before drilling a low shot to the far side of Darren Brennan’s net.

The Cats were quick to hit back. Liam Blanchfield thought he had scored a goal within 60 seconds when he lofted the sliotar over netminder Darragh Hughes, but Conor Firman raced back to clear the ball off the line.

Kilkenny kept pressing, taking the lead again with points from Murphy (free) and the impressive Leahy (2), then stretched their lead to four points by the 17th minute when Luke Scanlon and Jason Cleere found room to break forward and score (0-8 to 1-1).

Wexford started to claw the deficit back, but Quigley’s dismissal left them a little stretched in defence. The Cats used the extra man to widen the pitch and string together a good run of points that took them well clear of their rivals.

With the likes of Leahy, Sean Morrissey and John Donnelly to the fore, Kilkenny began to put distance between the sides. They kept driving, with late scores from Billy Ryan and Liam Blanchfield helping them to establish an eight-point cushion at the break (0-17 to 1-6).

Played in warm conditions it wasn’t a surprise to see the teams open at a slower pace in the second half, but Kilkenny kept working on their lead. Although Joe Coleman shaved two points off the deficit with early frees, sub James Bergin (0-2) and Richie Leahy kept Kilkenny comfortably ahead.

The Cats didn’t let up in the final quarter, finding space in which to fire over more points. Midfielders Luke Scanlon and Pat Lyng weighed in with scores, as did subs Eoin Kenny and Shane Walsh. Centre-back Jason Cleere also helped himself to a brace, the latter coming in the last act of the game, as Kilkenny cruised to the title.

**Scorers for Kilkenny: **Richie Leahy 0-5; Alan Murphy 0-5f (5f); Luke Scanlon 0-4; James Bergin 0-3 (3f); Jason Cleere 0-3; Billy Ryan, Sean Morrissey, John Donnelly 0-2 each; Liam Blanchfield, Pat Lyng, Eoin Kenny, Shane Walsh 0-1.

**Scorers for Wexford: **Joe Coleman 0-5 (5f); Stephen O’Gorman 1-0; John Doyle 0-2 (1f); Cathal Dunbar, Rory O’Connor 0-2 each; Joe O’Connor, Cormac Moore, Darren Codd 0-1 each.

Kilkenny: Darren Brennan; Michael Cody, Conor Delaney, James Burke; Darren Mullen, Jason Cleere, Tommy Walsh; Luke Scanlon, Pat Lyng; Alan Murphy, John Donnelly, Sean Morrissey; Richie Leahy, Liam Blanchfield, Billy Ryan. Subs: Ryan Bergin for Burke (31), James Bergin for Murphy (39), Eoin Kenny for Blanchfield (44), John Walsh for Ryan (50), Shane Walsh for Donnelly (57).

Wexford: Darragh Hughes; Conor Firman, Darren Byrne, Shane Reck; Brian Quigley, Aaron Maddock, Gary Molloy; Joe O’Connor, Rowan White; Sam Kelly, Rory O’Connor, Joe Coleman; Cathal Dunbar, Stephen O’Gorman, Harry O’Connor.** Subs:** Jake Firman for Kelly (31), Darren Codd for H. O’Connor (35), John Doyle for Coleman (40), Cormac Moore for White (45), Darragh Pepper for O’Gorman (48).

**Referee: **Patrick Murphy (Carlow)