Senior hurlers hoping to maintain run in Laois duels

Tue, 27th June 2017

FIVE MAJOR GAMES ON BUSY HURLING WEEKEND
It’s the most significant weekend of the hurling season so far in the GAA hurling championships with Galway or Wexford set to qualify for the All-Ireland semi-final as Leinster champions while four others will advance to the second round of the qualifiers. Dublin face Laois in Parnell Park on Saturday night (7.0) hoping to extend their championship campaign.

The Dubs have defeated the O'Moore County in their last three Championship encounters - 2010, 2012 and 2015 while Laois' last SHC victory over Dublin came in the summer of 2005.

The programme is as follows:

SATURDAY
All-Ireland qualifiers (Round 1)
Offaly v Waterford, O’Connor Park, Tullamore, 3.0
Tipperary v Westmeath, Semple Stadium, Thurles, 5.0
Kilkenny v Limerick, Nowlan Park, 7.0
Dublin v Laois, Parnell Park, 7.0

SUNDAY
Leinster SH final: Galway v Wexford, Croke Park, 4.0

DUBLIN v LAOIS

Last Five Championship Clashes
2015: Dublin 4-17 Laois 0-19 (All-Ireland qualifiers)
2012: Dublin 3-23 Laois 1-7 (Leinster quarter-final)
2010: Dublin 0-25 Laois 0-16 (Leinster quarter-final)
2005: Laois 4-14 Dublin 0-14 (Leinster quarter-final)
2003: Dublin 3-11 Laois 0-15 (Leinster preliminary round) Replay

Dublin lost to Galway by 2-28 to 1-17 in the Leinster quarter-final.
Laois will be having their sixth outing in this year’s championship. They beat Westmeath (1-23 to 2-17), Meath (3-25 to 2-13) and Kerry (2-21 to 3-15) in the Leinster ‘round robin), before losing to Wexford (3-25 to 117) in the Leinster quarter-final. They beat Carlow (2-14 to 1-16) in last Sunday’s preliminary round qualifier.
Dublin lost to Cork in last year’s qualifiers (1-26 to 1-23).
Laois lost to Clare by 5-32 to 0-12 in last year’s qualifiers.

GALWAY v WEXFORD
They meet in the Leinster final for the first time and for only the second time in the Leinster championship since Galway joined the eastern campaign in 2009. They met in the 2010 quarter-final, with Galway winning by 2-22 to 1-14 in Nowlan Park.

PATH TO THE FINAL: Galway
Galway 2-28 Dublin 1-17 (Leinster quarter-final)
Galway 0-33 Offaly 1-11 (Leinster semi-final)

Galway’s Top Scorers
Joe Canning ...............0-16 (0-11 frees)
Conor Whelan.............0-12
Conor Cooney..............1-4
Niall Burke...................0-7

PATH TO THE FINAL: Wexford
Wexford 3-25 Laois 1-17 (Leinster quarter-final)
Wexford 1-20 Kilkenny 3-11 (Leinster semi-final)

Wexford’s Top Scorers
Conor McDonald.........0-14 (0-9 frees)
Lee Chin.......................0-9 (0-6 frees, 0-2 ‘65s’)
Paul Morris..................0-8
Harry Kehoe................1-2

PREVIOUS GALWAY-WEXFORD CHAMPIONSHIP CLASHES
2010: Galway 2-22 Wexford 1-14 (Leinster quarter-final)
1996: Wexford 2-13 Galway 3-7 (All-Ireland semi-final)
1976: Wexford 3-14 Galway 2-14 (All-Ireland semi-final) Replay
1976: Wexford 5-14 Galway 2-23 (All-Ireland semi-final) Draw
1970: Wexford 3-17 Galway 5-9 (All-Ireland semi-final)
1956: Wexford 5-13 Galway 1-8 (All-Ireland semi-final)
1955: Wexford 3-13 Galway 2-8 (All-Ireland final)
1951: Wexford 3-11 Galway 2-9 (All-Ireland semi-final)
1887: Galway 2-8 Wexford 1-0 (All-Ireland semi-final)

LAST FIVE LEINSTER FINALS
GALWAY
2016: Kilkenny 1-25 Galway 0-22
2015: Kilkenny 1-25 Galway 2-15
2013: Dublin 2-25 Galway 2-13
2012: Galway 2-21 Kilkenny 2-11
2010: Kilkenny 1-19 Galway 1-12

WEXFORD
2008: Kilkenny 5-21 Wexford 0-17
2007: Kilkenny 2-24 Wexford 1-12
2006: Kilkenny 1-23 Wexford 2-12
2005: Kilkenny 0-22 Wexford 1-16
2004: Wexford 2-12 Wexford 1-11

Wexford are bidding to win the Leinster title for the first time since 2004. Galway won their first and –so far – only Leinster title in 2012.
This will be the tenth championship clash between the counties: Wexford won seven to Galway’s two of the previous nine.
They last met in the championship in 2010 when Galway won a Leinster quarter-final by 2-22 to 1-14.
Their last competitive clash was in this year’s Allianz hurling League (1B) when Wexford won by 1-21 to 3-13 in Pearse Stadium. Galway led by 2-7 to 0-6 at half-time and by 3-12 to 0-15 at the three- quarter stage before Wexford outscored them by 1-6 to 0-1 in the final quarter to win by two points.
Galway won the Allianz Hurling League title in April; Wexford lost to Tipperary in the semi-final.

DID YOU KNOW?
The counties’ respective League and Championship records this year are: Galway: Played 10, Won 9, Lost 1;
Wexford: Played 9, Won 8, Lost 1.

KILKENNY v LIMERICK
They meet for the first time in the championship since the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final, which Kilkenny won by 2-13 to 0-17.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP CLASHES
2014: Kilkenny 2-13 Limerick 0-17 (All-Ireland semi-final)
2012: Kilkenny 4-16 Limerick 1-16 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
2007: Kilkenny 2-19 Limerick 1-15 (All-Ireland final)
2005: Kilkenny 0-18 Limerick 0-13 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
1974: Kilkenny 3-19 Limerick 1-13 (All-Ireland final)

This will be the 12th championship meeting between the counties, with Kilkenny winning seven to Limerick’s four of the previous 11. Limerick’s last championship win over Kilkenny was in the 1973 AllIreland final.
Limerick lost to Clare by 3-17 to 2-16 in this year’s Munster semi-final while Kilkenny lost to Wexford by 1-20 to 3-11 in the Leinster semifinal.
Kilkenny were last in the All-Ireland qualifiers in 2013 when they beat Tipperary and Waterford (extra-time) before losing the quarter-final to Cork.
Limerick were in last year’s qualifiers, where they beat Westmeath and lost to Clare.

OFFALY v WATERFORD
This will be the fourth championship clash between the counties, with Waterford having won the previous three (all qualifiers) as follows:
2013: Waterford 0-21 Offaly 1-14, Tullamore
2008: Waterford 2-18 Offaly 0-18, Thurles
2005: Waterford 1-26 Offaly 1-15, Carlow

Offaly beat Westmeath (4-15 to 1-20) and lost to Galway (0-33 to 1-11) in this year’s Leinster championship. Waterford lost to Cork by 0-23 to 115 in the Munster semi-final.
Offaly lost to Wexford (1-21 to 1-13) in last year’s qualifiers.
Waterford were last in the qualifiers in 2014, beating Laois and losing to Wexford.

TIPPERARY v WESTMEATH ?

They meet for the first time in the championship. Tipperary lost to Cork (2-27 to 1-26) in this year’s Munster quarter-final.
Westmeath have had four games in this year’s championship, losing to Laois (1-23 to 2-17) and Kerry (0-20 to 2-12) and beating Meath by 1-18 to 0-19 in the Leinster ‘round robin’. They later lost to Offaly by 4-15 to 1-20 in the Leinster quarter-final.
Tipperary were last in the All-Ireland qualifiers in 2014 when they beat Galway and Offaly. They beat Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Cork in the semi-final and lost to Kilkenny in a replayed final.
Westmeath lost to Limerick by 1-24 to 0-18 in last year’s qualifiers.

2017 ALL-IRELAND HURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
MUNSTER

May 21: First round: Cork 2-27 Tipperary 1-26, Semple Stadium.

June 4: Semi-final: Clare 3-17 Limerick 2-16, Semple Stadium.

June 18: Semi-final: Cork 0-23 Waterford 1-15, Semple Stadium.

July 9: Final: Clare v Cork, Semple Stadium.

LEINSTER

April 23: Round Robin: Meath 3-20 Kerry 2-17, Pairc Tailteann; Laois 1-23 Westmeath 2-17, O’Moore Park.

April 30: Round Robin: Kerry 0-20 Westmeath 2-12, TEG Cusack Park; Laois 3-25 Meath 2-13, Pairc Tailteann. May 14: Round Robin: Westmeath 1-18 Meath 0-19, TEG Cusack Park; Laois 2-21 Kerry 3-15, Tralee. May 27: Quarter-final: Offaly 4-15 Westmeath 1-20, TEG Cusack Park.
May 28: Quarter-finals: Wexford 3-25 Laois 1-17 O’Moore Park; Galway 2-28 Dublin 1-17, O’Connor Park, Tullamore.

June 10: Semi-final: Wexford 1-20 Kilkenny 3-11, Innovate Wexford Park.

June 18: Semi-final: Galway 0-33 Offaly 1-11, Portlaoise July 2:

Final: Galway v Wexford, Croke Park

ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 25: Preliminary Round Qualifier: Laois 2-14 Carlow 1-16, O’Moore Park.

July 1: Round 1 Qualifiers: Kilkenny v Limerick, Nowlan Park; Dublin v Laois, Parnell Park; Tipperary v Westmeath, Semple Stadium; Offaly v Waterford, Tullamore.

July 8: Round 2 Qualifiers

July 23: Quarter-finals

August 6: Semi-final: Galway or Wexford v Quarter-final winner, Croke Park.

August 13: Semi-final: Clare or Cork v Quarter-final winner, Croke Park.

September 3 All-Ireland SHC final Croke Park