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David Burke returned from a cruciate ligament knee injury for St Thomas today. Bryan Keane/INPHO

Ballyhale hit 5-19 in Kilkenny semi-final, St Thomas still on track for Galway six in-a-row

Ballyboden St Enda’s and Na Fianna will face off in the Dublin final.

Results 

Kilkenny senior hurling semi-finals

  • O’Loughlin Gaels 3-16 Bennettsbridge 0-22
  • Ballyhale Shamrocks 5-19 James Stephens 0-14

Galway senior hurling semi-finals

  • Turloughmore 2-22 Loughrea 1-22
  • St Thomas 1-20 Sarsfields 1-17

Dublin senior hurling semi-finals

  • Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-24 St Vincent’s 1-19 (after extra-time)
  • Na Fianna 0-18 Lucan Sarsfields 0-14

Antrim senior hurling final

  • Ruairí Óg Cushendall 1-20 Loughgiel Shamrocks 1-19

Wicklow senior hurling final

  • Bray Emmets 1-15 Carnew Emmets 2-10

Kildare senior hurling final

  • Naas 3-13 Coill Dubh 0-11

Meath senior hurling final

  • Kildalkey 0-19 Ratoath 0-16

Armagh senior hurling final

  • Middletown 1-15 Keady 0-11.

*****

BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS AND O’Loughlin Gaels will go head-to-head for the 2023 Kilkenny senior hurling championship title after both coming through their semi-finals.

Ballyhale, the reigning All-Ireland club champions, hit 5-19 past James Stephens en route to the decider this afternoon.

Colin Fennelly bagged a brace of goals, while Adrian Mullen, TJ Reid and Eoin Cody also raised green flags as their bid for six Kilkenny senior hurling crowns on the bounce continues.

Ballyhale led Brian Cody’s James Stephens 1-10 to 0-7 at the break, and ultimately ran out 5-19 to 0-14 winners.

Goals were similarly crucial in the other last four battle between O’Loughlin Gaels and Bennettsbridge at Nowlan Park. Owen Wall was at the double as O’Loughlin Gaels emerged three-point winners, with Conor Kelly also scoring a goal and Mark Begin chipping in with 0-8 (4f).

Wall’s stoppage time major was ultimately the difference in a tight, tense encounter; O’Loughlin Gaels now set to contest their second final in three years.

St Thomas and Turloughmore will contest the Galway decider. St Thomas remain on course for a sixth title in-a-row after a 1-20 to 1-17 semi-final win over Sarsfields today, with record holders Turloughmore standing in their way after their own three-point victory over Loughrea at Pearse Stadium.

Galway’s 2017 All-Ireland winning captain David Burke returned from a cruciate ligament knee injury in a huge boost for St Thomas, having suffered the setback in March. Conor Cooney starred with 1-14, while Gerard Kelly stepped up with two huge late saves to get the reigning champions over the line.

Turloughmore, the only team to achieve the six in-a-row feat in Galway (1961-1966), await in the final after they edged out 2022 runners-up Loughrea on a scoreline of 2-22 to 1-22. They led 1-11 to 1-9 at half time, with Matthew Tarpey and Tom Quirke scoring goals in either half to see them home.

In Dublin, Ballyboden St Enda’s and Na Fianna will face off in the final.

It took extra-time — and a last-gasp penalty save — for Ballyboden to edge out St Vincent’s at Parnell Park this afternoon. Diarmuid Connolly forced the additional period with an equaliser at the death, but the Dublin football All-Ireland winner saw a late red card as the Vinnies fell to a 0-24 to 1-19 defeat.

Goalkeeper Conor O’Dononghue was the late hero as he stopped a Tomas Connolly penalty to send Ballyboden to their first final since 2020.

And Na Fianna joined them in the showpiece after a four-point win over Lucan Sarsfields.

Ruairí Óg Cushendall were crowned Antrim senior hurling champions after a one-point win over Loughgiel Shamrocks. They held on after late drama.

Elsewhere, there were county final wins for Bray Emmets (Wicklow), Naas (Kildare), Kildalkey (Meath) and Middletown (Armagh). Bray Emmets made history as they became the first team to win five hurling titles in-a-row in Wicklow.

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