Kilkenny 2-21 Waterford 0-21
Kilkenny and Waterford both progress to the Allianz Hurling League semi-finals despite Liam Cahill’s side slipping to a first defeat of the campaign at UPMC Nowlan Park.
Only an extremely unlikely combination of results would have denied Waterford a semi-final spot going into today’s game and though Dublin drew level on points with them after beating Laois, the Munster side’s far superior scoring difference saw them through.
With Kilkenny’s six-point win seeing them leapfrog Waterford and Wexford topping Division 1A ahead of Cork, next weekend’s semi-finals will be Kilkenny-Cork and Wexford-Waterford.
Kilkenny were well worth their win in the end after getting to grips with Waterford following a slow start.
With players from the All-Ireland club champions Ballygunner starting for the first time this year - Pauric Mahony and Dessie Hutchinson - Waterford were too slick for Kilkenny in the opening quarter and were 0-6 to 0-2 clear by the ninth minute and they twice held a four-point lead thereafter.
But Padraig Walsh almost single-handedly dragged Kilkenny into it, shooting 0-3 from centre-forward and playing a key role in Cillian Buckley’s 26th minute goal, which drew Kilkenny level in the 26th minute.
Buckley’s effort was hardly bullet-like, however, and Waterford goalkeeper Billy Nolan ought to have kept it out.
Kilkenny gained impetus from that score and kicked on from there to half-time as they held a 1-10 to 0-11 lead at the break, which Walsh added to along with his namesake Walter to stretch the lead to five early in the second half.
They enjoyed an advantage of that proportion for much of the second half and by as much as seven when Billy Ryan netted Kilkenny’s second goal in the 46th minute, the Graigue-Ballycallan man finishing smartly after Padraig Walsh’s effort at a point was hooked and fell nicely for him.
Waterford’s chances of reeling Kilkenny in suffered a fatal blow when DJ Foran, a half-time sub, was red-carded for a high challenge on Mikey Butler in the 61st minute but they responded by hitting the next three points to cut the deficit to a goal in the closing stages.
But Kilkenny hit the next three points themselves to settle the contest and ensure that they finished top of Division 1B.
KILKENNY: Eoin Murphy (0-1f); Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Tommy Walsh; Mikey Carey, Richie Reid, David Blanchfield; Cian Kenny (0-1), Cillian Buckley (1-0); Walter Walsh (0-3), Padraig Walsh (0-5), Adrian Mullen (0-1); Billy Ryan (1-1), Martin Keoghan, Alan Murphy (0-5, 0-4f).
Subs: Eoin Cody (0-2) for Mullen (42), James Maher (0-1) for Kenny (57), John Donnelly (0-1) for Keoghan (59).
WATERFORD: Billy Nolan; Cian Wadding, Iarlaith Daly, Shane McNulty; Jack Fagan (0-1), Tadhg de Burca, Conor Dalton (0-1); Carthach Daly (0-1), Darragh Lyons (0-1); Neil Montgomery (0-3), Austin Gleeson (0-7, 0-4f, 0-1 ‘65’), Pauric Mahony (0-3f); Colin Dunford (0-1), Michael Kiely (0-1), Dessie Hutchinson (0-2).
Subs: DJ Foran for Mahony (HT), Shane Bennett for Kiely (49), Kieran Bennett for Dunford (53), Micheal Harney for Wadding (59), Michael Mahony for Lyons (65).
REFEREE: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).
