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Kilkenny turn on the style in the second half against Limerick

Kilkenny turn on the style in the second half against Limerick

Kilkenny 3-22 Limerick 1-12

By Conor Kane in Thurles

What started out as a tight game between two teams on their last chance in the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship turned into something of a rout today as Kilkenny blitzed Limerick to earn a place in the semi-finals.

For much of the first half there was little between the teams - indeed Limerick led 0-8/0-7 in the 24th minute - but the young cats ran up 1-4 before half-time and another unanswered 0-5 in seven minutes after the break to make easy their passage.

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There were never more than two points between the teams for much of the opening period until just before the break when a fine Jamie Harkin point from deep and then a superb Jack Morrissey goal from a tight angle on the right put them 1-11 to 0-8 ahead.

Kilkenny turn on the style in the second half against Limerick

Once Kilkenny had a strangehold on the game in the second half, it was mostly one-way stuff as they racked up a big score, Jack Morrissey getting another goal with another bullet and Killian Hogan netting their third.

By the time Bryan Nix goaled for Limerick well into injury-time, the Shannonsiders were already gone from the championship.

Scorers for Kilkenny: C Kelly 0-8 (8f), J Morrissey 2-1, K Hogan 1-1, J Buggy 0-3, G Murphy 0-2, C Kenny 0-2, C Brennan 0-2, C O’Leary 0-1, J Harkin 0-1, D Coogan 0-1

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Scorers for Limerick: C O’Neill 0-8 (7f, 1 ‘65’), B Nix 1-0, E McEvoy 0-1, B O’Connor 0-1, C Ryan 0-1, E O’Mahony 0-1

Kilkenny: J Brennan, P Dempsey, J Young, D Crehan, D Maher, S Staunton, J Harkin, C Kelly, C Kenny, J Morrissey, C Brennan, G Murphy, C O’Leary, D Coogan, J Buggy. Subs: K Hogan for C O’Leary (46m), E Guilfoyle for D Coogan (49m), P Moylan for J Morrissey (56m), H Walsh for J Harkin (56m), D Fogarty for D Maher (56m).

Limerick: B Heavey, P Harnett, B Herlihy, M Keane, E O’Mahony, E McEvoy, J Nicholas, P Kirby, B O’Connor, M Martin, C Ryan, K O’Donnell, C O’Neill, B Purcell, A Shanahan. Subs: C Coughlan for P Kirby (25m), J Quilty for M Martin (39m), B Nix for A Shanahan (41m), C Casey for B O’Connor (52m), D Hegarty for B Purcell (52m)

Ref: Shane Hynes (Galway).

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