oneills.com Leinster U-20 Hurling Championship semi-final results

KILKENNY 1-28 GALWAY 1-27 (after extra time)

WEXFORD 1-15 DUBLIN 1-14

The 2022 oneills.com Leinster U-20 Hurling final will be between old rivals Kilkenny and Wexford after both counties came through enthralling encounters of the highest quality this afternoon.

Even the most ardent of Wexford supporters would agree that top billing for the day would have to go to Kilkenny, who came through a semi-final contest with Galway that will live long in the memory of anyone who was fortunate enough to be in Tullamore to witness it, or even to take it in through the live coverage of TG4.

It was always going to take something special to beat a Galway team that came into this game picking from the 2019 and 2020 All-Ireland minor championship winning sides, and something special was exactly what Kilkenny delivered.

Galway’s early 0-9 to 0-4 lead suggested that the Cats were never going to keep pace with their free-scoring opponents, but on the back of some metronomic shooting from Billy Drennan, they worked their way back into the contest.

Two penalty saves from Aidan Tallis, on both occasions parrying shots from Liam Collins, further inspired Derek Lyng's side and they took a narrow two point lead into the final quarter.

Galway rallied however, and some great scores from Collins and Alex Conaire meant they led by one going into the last minute, when Billy Drennan’s equaliser set up extra time. That was Drennan's only score from play on the day, but that statistic downplays the incredible contribution that the Galmoy man made to his team's cause this afternoon.

It was in the additional 20 minutes of action that the game really exploded into a memorable encounter that will stand comparison with any game played this year. Galway’s bench looked like it would be their trump card, as Reuben Murray (1-1), Colm Molloy (0-2), Diarmuid Davoren (0-2) and Tiernan Leen (0-1) all scored to move the Tribesmen five clear, but a series of Drennan scores, a whipped point from Jack Doyle and a close range goal from Gearóid Dunne turned the tables.

With penalties looming, it fell to Joe Fitzpatrick to fire over the winning score from distance and set up a local derby provincial decider this night next week.

Much like the game in Tullamore, Wexford's clash with Dublin at their home field of Chadwicks Wexford Park only took off in the second half, ignited by Jack Redmond's goal in the second minute after the restart. 

Wexford led by 1-10 to 0-8 when Dara Purcell forced the ball over the line for the Dubs to set up a nip and tuck last 20 minutes. 

David Crowe and Diarmaid Ó Dúllaing levelled the game at 1-11 each by the 45th minute, Cian Byrne pushed Wexford back ahead with a brace of frees, but there was only a point in it going into stoppage time, when the whole contest boiled down to a sideline cut from Ben McSweeney, five metres inside the 45m line. The St. Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh player needed to split the posts to send the contest to extra time, but the fine margins that apply in elite sport were clear to see when his cleanly-hit strike floated up and then struck the left-hand post, before dropping into a Wexford hand in what was the last play of the game.