Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Final

DUBLIN 3-31 ANTRIM 0-22

By Paul Keane at Pairc Tailteann, Navan

Dublin's best performance of the year so far yielded an 18-point win in Navan and a Leinster SHC semi-final clash with Galway next weekend.

Mattie Kenny's side were full value for the quarter-final victory with 2020 All-Star nominee Donal Burke leading the way in scoring terms, sniping 0-11, while Cian O'Sullivan, Ronan Hayes and Cian Boland all struck majors.

Dublin finished lower than the Saffrons in Division 1B of the Allianz League though this impressive performance suggested they were simply building for the business end of the summer.

All of their big guns fired at Pairc Tailteann with captain Danny Sutcliffe and ex-skippers Chris Crummey and Eoghan O'Donnell among 13 different Dublin scorers on the afternoon.

Dublin's reward is a provincial semi-final clash with Galway in Portlaoise next Saturday while Antrim still have an opportunity to progress in the Championship with the Saffrons set to face the losers of today's second quarter-final between Wexford and Laois.

That preliminary qualifier will be played on July 10/11 and boss Darren Gleeson will demand a return to the sort of form they displayed in the league when they beat Clare and drew with Wexford.

Dublin had eight points to spare when they met Antrim at Parnell Park in the league last month.

That same margin separated the teams at half-time on this occasion with Dublin again in command.

It had been tight initially with the sides level five times in the opening 17 minutes but back to back Burke points left Dublin 0-8 to 0-6 up at the first water break.

Dublin would ultimately score four points without reply, either side of that break, to put clear daylight between the teams for the first time, 0-10 to 0-6.

Long-range point scoring was once again a feature of the game with Sutcliffe nailing one beauty from distance, moments after giving a loose pass that led to an Antrim point.

Sutcliffe's error was a rare one and Dublin were sharp and on point throughout, all six forwards and midfielder Rian McBride getting on the scoresheet in the first-half alone.

Alan Nolan went long with his puck-outs for Dublin, generally arrowing them in the direction of Sutcliffe, Crummey and Burke in the half-forward line.

Antrim 'keeper Ryan Elliott mixed it up and picked off a series of short puck-outs though Dublin pressed hard and brought an urgency to the contest.

They were five points clear in the 32nd minute when they got their goal through O'Sullivan.

It was a beauty from the St Brigid's man who cut in from the left and struck a sidewinder to the far top corner, punching the air in delight.

Conal Cunning had Antrim's best goal chance of the first-half but his drilled shot from the right was tipped over by Nolan.

Dublin hit the interval with a 1-17 to 0-12 lead and were full value for it, killing off Antrim with 53rd and 55th minute goals from Hayes and Boland.

Hayes' major was the pick of the bunch as Conor Burke ran hard through the centre of Antrim's defence and off loaded at just the right time for Hayes to capitalise from the right of goals.

Two minutes later, Nolan launched a long delivery downfield from a free and when Antrim failed to clear, Boland pounced with a poke from close range.

Kenny ran in his full allocation of subs and there were scores for Fergal Whitely, Sean Moran and Paul Crummey, the latter tipping just over with a clever volleyed finish that almost found the net.

Scorers for Dublin: Donal Burke 0-11 (0-6f), Ronan Hayes 1-3, Cian O'Sullivan 1-2, Cian Boland 1-1, Chris Crummey 0-3, Danny Sutcliffe 0-3, Rian McBride 0-2, Conor Burke 0-1, Eoghan O'Donnell 0-1, Oisin O'Rorke 0-1, Fergal Whitely 0-1, Paul Crummey 0-1, Sean Moran 0-1.

Scorers for Antrim: Ciaran Clarke 0-9 (0-6f, 0-1 65), Neil McManus 0-6, Keelan Molloy 0-3, James McNaughton 0-1 (0-1f), Conal Cunning 0-1, Michael Bradley 0-1, Conor McCann 0-1.

DUBLIN: Alan Nolan; Paddy Smyth, Eoghan O'Donnell, Cian O'Callaghan; Daire Gray, Liam Rushe, James Madden; Rian McBride, Conor Burke; Chris Crummey, Danny Sutcliffe, Donal Burke; Cian O'Sullivan, Ronan Hayes, Cian Boland.

Subs: Subs: Jake Malone for McBride (57), Fergal Whitely for Sutcliffe (57), Oisin O'Rorke for O'Sullivan (57), Sean Moran for Conor Burke (60), Paul Crummey for Chris Crummey (63).

ANTRIM: Ryan Elliott; Damon McMullan, Gerard Walsh, Stephen Rooney; Eoghan Campbell, Paddy Burke, Joe Maskey; Keelan Molloy, James McNaughton; Michael Bradley, Neil McManus, Niall McKenna; Ciaran Clarke, Conal Cunning, Shane Elliott.

Subs: Conor McCann for Shane Elliott (27), Domhall Nugent for McKenna (48), Shea Shannon for Bradley (48), Ciaran Johnson for Campbell (57), Ryan McGarry for Maskey (57).

REFEREE: Liam Gordon (Galway).