Kilkenny claim All-Ireland U-20 title after edging Limerick in thrilling final

They beat Limerick today in Thurles in a tight game that ebbed and flowed, where neither team held any significant advantage on the scoreboard at any stage until the final whistle.

The teams were level 14 times by the time Kilkenny established a late two-point lead.

Limerick huffed and puffed but each time they took a point off Kilkenny’s lead, the Leinster champions nosed back ahead.

Billy Drennan was their most industrious forward. The Galmoy man hit 0-8, five points of which came from play.

Late on, after Aidan O’Connor had chiselled Limerick’s deficit back to a point with his 10th point and seventh free, Colin Coughlin had a chance to send the game to extra time but his shot into the town end goal was errant and Kilkenny had their first Under 20/21 All-Ireland since the days of TJ Reid, Paul Murphy and Colin Fennelly.

SCORERS – Kilkenny: B Drennan 0-8 (2f, 1 ’65), T Clifford 0-3, D Walsh, I Byrne 0-2 each, P Langton, A Hickey, G Dunne, A Tallis (f) 0-1 each. Limerick: A O’Connor 0-10 (7f), A English, P O’Donovan 0-2 each, C Coughlin, E Stokes, S O’Brien, P Kirby 0-1 each.

KILKENNY: A Tallis; N Rowe, S Purcell, P Lennon; J Fitzpatrick, P Moylan, P Langton; K Doyle, A Hickey; D Walsh, T Clifford, P McDonald; B Drennan, G Dunne, I Byrne. Subs: J Walsh for Hickey (43), E O’Brien for Fitzpatrick (50), J Doyle for Dunne (57)

LIMERICK: C Hanley Clarke; C Thomas, F O’Connor, E O’Leary; C Scully, E Hurley, C Couglan; J Quilty, J Kirby; A English, A O’Connor, E Stokes; S O’Brien, P Kirby, P O’Donovan. Subs: D Ó Dálaigh for O’Donovan (50), P Reale for O’Leary (55), J Sweeney for Scully (57)

REF: T Walsh (Waterford)