oneills.com Leinster U20 Hurling Championship

Kilkenny 1-21 Dublin 2-15

By Paul Keane

Victory for Kilkenny at UPMC Nowlan Park, and a gutsy one at that as they came from five points behind at one stage, but victory of sorts for Dublin too.

Gearoid Dunne's six-point haul, and a crucial goal from Ted Dunne, helped the hosts to see off the previously unbeaten Sky Blues and to secure top spot in the province's Tier 1 group.

Thankfully for Dublin, the defeat wasn't a costly one as, with two teams automatically qualifying for the Leinster semi-finals, they also progressed to the last four as group runners-up.

Both teams will await the winners of the quarter-final ties which we now know are; Offaly v Galway and Westmeath v Wexford.

Galway's win over Wexford yesterday secured third position in the table, and the clash with Offaly, while fourth placed Wexford advanced to meet Westmeath.

Kilkenny's two-point win was all the more impressive as they were without senior stars Billy Drennan and Timmy Clifford.

An injury ruled Drennan out though had he been fit, he surely would have been required for senior activity this evening while Clifford, who hit 1-2 for the U-20s against Galway last weekend, was named in Derek Lyng's senior team.

Despite those high profile absentees, Kilkenny were still able to recover from a five-point deficit after 20 minutes.

Dublin impressed initially with Jamie Conroy's 10th minute goal nudging them 1-2 to 0-3 clear.

Dublin then outscored Kilkenny by 0-5 to 0-1 between the 11th and 16th minutes to put daylight between the teams and when Diarmuid O Dulaing knocked over his fourth point of the game in the 20th minute, the visitors led by 1-8 to 0-6.

Kilkenny needed a lift and got it in the form of a goal from Ted Dunne while Cillian Hackett, Croke Cup star Killian Doyle and Joe Fitzpatrick weighed in with points to tie it up at 1-9 to 1-9 at half-time.

They were tied four more times in the second-half up to 1-14 apiece before Kilkenny finally pulled decisively clear.

Five points in a row - from Fitzpatrick, free-taker Gearoid Dunne (2) and substitute Denis Walsh (2) - left Kilkenny with a 1-19 to 1-14 lead.

Dublin, who ground out an impressive comeback win over Galway in Round 1, typically refused to relent and Liam Garrigan's stoppage time goal brought the margin back to just a point.

But Gearoid Dunne's sixth point of the afternoon from a free in the 63rd minute proved to be the insurance score.