AIB All-Ireland Club JHC Semi-Finals

Easkey (Sligo) 3-15 Kilburn Gaels (London) 4-6

Ballygiblin (Cork) 1-12 Horeswood (Wexford) 0-8

Cork's Ballygiblin, beaten in the final of last season's AIB All-Ireland club junior hurling championship, are back on the brink of claiming the title.

In what has been a terrific show of character from a side beaten by a point in that decider, they have made it back to the final and will play Sligo's Easkey at Croke Park on January 14.

With key figures like Mark Keane, in defence, and Cathail O'Mahony, in attack, both impressing, and Darragh Flynn netting in the first-half, the Cork representatives led virtually throughout in their semi-final win over Wexford's Horeswood.

Flynn finished up with 1-4 though it wasn't plain sailing for the north Cork side who led by just that goal at half-time, 1-5 to 0-5.

Both sides drilled a series of wides in wet and windy Dungarvan though Ballygiblin gradually pulled away in the second-half.

Free-taker Joseph O'Sullivan and Ryan Donegan helped stretch their lead to five points while Shane Beston was also on the mark as they inched closer to victory.

Easkey relied on a strong second-half performance also as they edged a seven-goal thriller with the London champions at Louth's centre of excellence in Darver.

Andrew Kilcullen helped himself to 2-9 of Easkey's tally although the Connacht side conceded three first-half goals and trailed 1-6 to 3-4 at the interval.

Mark O'Dwyer accounted for two of those first-half Kilburn goals while free-taker Colin Nelson clipped five points in total.

A fourth Kilburn goal in the third quarter from substitute Anthony Hands left Easkey up against it but they dug deep to mine out a memorable win.

Kilcullen's second goal and one from Rory McHugh, who netted from a penalty, nudged Michael Gordon's Easkey towards the six-point victory - and that date with Ballygiblin.