Kilcormac-Killoughey 1-14 Ballyhale Shamrocks 0-21
Kilkenny's Ballyhale Shamrocks have won their eighth Leinster club hurling title, beating Offaly side Kilcormac-Killoughey after extra-time.
Captain TJ Reid fired 10 points as Shamrocks captured their first provincial title since 2009, with the two sides never more than two points apart in normal time.
A Henry Shefflin point helped Shamrocks to a 0-07 to 0-06 half-time lead, with Dan Currams netting the only goal four minutes after the restart.
Kilcormac-Killoughey erred in front of the posts with a number of Ciaran Slevin misses, but it was Slevin who forced extra-time with his last-minute free.
Shamrocks showed their class in extra-time however, building a lead with the help of 11-time All-Star Henry Shefflin, who scored four points in total, and 0-10 from free-taker TJ Reid.
They moved 0-18 to 1-12 ahead at the break, and had pulled four points clear by the full-time whistle.
It is the Kilkenny side's first Leinster crown since winning back-to-back titles in 2008-2009 and takes them one ahead of Birr, who have seven titles.
They will face the winners of next Sunday's Galway final (Gort or Portumna) in the All-Ireland semi-final on 7 February.
Kilcormac-Killoughey were aiming for a second provincial title in three years.
The Offaly men began this game in powerful fashion, as 18-year old Cillian Kiely opened their account after 14 seconds, before James Gorman followed up from the resulting puck out to ensure a 0-02 to 0-00 lead after just a minute.
TJ Reid popped over the first of his five first-half points, a fourth-minute pointed free, to cut the gap to a point but Kilcormac Killoughey defended strongly at the back.
Ger Healion and Alan McConville were immense during the opening quarter, with Healion blocking an eighth-minute goal effort after Colin Fennelly cut through the middle.
Reid put Ballyhale 0-03 to 0-02 ahead after 11 minutes but Kilcormac-Killoughey took the lead entering the second quarter, following a brace of Ciaran Slevin points.
Reid’s third point levelled the tie soon after, but Ballyhale would fail to score between the 17th and 26th minutes, as Kilcormac Killoughey took control once more.
Scores from Conor Mahon and Damien Kilmartin ensured a 0-06 to 0-04 advantage in the 24th minute, but Ballyhale were strongest before the break.
As heavy rain lashed down, a trio of unanswered scores, including two from Reid, and a first from Shefflin, put them 0-07 to 0-06 ahead at the interval, with the Kilkenny champions also defending well late in the half despite strong Kilcormac-Killoughey pressure.
Ballyhale Shamrocks opted to make some switches for the second half, with Brian Cody introduced for midfielder David Hoyne and James Fitzpatrick switching to the middle for the throw-in.
On the restart, Ballyhale started brightly with Reid adding his sixth point, to take a two-point lead for the first time.
Kilcormac-Killoughey responded strongly and claimed the lead for the first time since the 24th minute, with the only goal of the game.
James Gorman’s initial powerful shot was expertly saved by Richie Reid, but the Ballyhale keeper was beaten when Peter Geraghty flicked across the rebound to Currams who finished to the net from close range.
Despite this setback, Shamrocks responded well with a trio of TJ Reid scores to open up an 0-11 to 1-06 lead, with Kilcormac-Killoughey wayward in front of the posts.
Ciaran Slevin fired two quick wides from placed balls, before Mark Aylward extended Ballyhale’s lead at the start of the final quarter.
Kilcormac-Killoughey hit four unanswered scores, with a close-range Currams effort followed up with scores from Slevin and Kiely to level the tie for the sixth time, before James Gorman edged them ahead in the 54th minute.
This game continued to ebb and flow, with Shamrocks reclaiming the lead after points from Eoin Reid, and Henry Shefflin.
Ciaran Slevin made amends for his previous misses as his effort on the stroke of 60 minutes levelled the game for the eighth time.
Both sides had chances for a winner, but defences were on top in the closing stages.
A James Gorman effort was blocked in the first minute of injury-time, before Kiely hooked Colin Fennelly in front of the posts at the opposite end.
A late Slevin free dropped short as referee Paud O’Dwyer blew the full-time whistle with the scores tied at 1-11 to 0-14.
Ballyhale Shamrocks made the best of the opening period of extra-time, but it took both sides a while to get on the scoreboard.
Thomas Geraghty fired wide inside two minutes for Kilcormac-Killoughey and it wasn’t until the fifth minute before a score was registered, with substitute Ronan Corcoran on target to hand Shamrocks a 0-15 to 1-11 advantage.
Ciaran Slevin brought the sides level for the ninth time with his 66th-minute effort from play, but Ballyhale kicked on.
Ballyhale fired five unanswered points, including three before the interval, with Aylward, Fitzpatrick and Shefflin each adding a point to ensure an 0-18 to 1-12 half-time lead in extra-time, before further scores from Shefflin and Fitzpatrick on the restart.
Kilcormac-Killoughey badly needed a score to bring them into contention, but Currams was denied four minutes after the break.
The double Ks pressed hard, but their only return over the remainder of the tie was two Ciaran Slevin pointed frees, as Reid’s tenth point came late on to confirm a four-point win.
BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS: R Reid; K Nolan, J Holden, A Cuddihy; P Shefflin, M Fennelly, B Aylward; D Hoyne, C Walsh (0-01); J Fitzpatrick (0-02); C Fennelly, TJ Reid (0-10, 7f, 1 65); E Reid (0-01), H Shefflin (0-04), M Aylward (0-02). Subs: B Cody for Hoyne (HT); A Cummins for B Aylward (55); R Corcoran (0-01) for Walsh (57); M Dermody for P Shefflin (76); P Reid for M Aylward (78); K Mullen for Fennelly (81).
KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: Conor Slevin; Con Mahon, G Healion, A McConville; K Grogan, P Healion, B Leonard; D Kilmartin (0-01), K Leonard; Ciaran Slevin (0-07, 5f), Conor Mahon (0-01), C Kiely (0-02); J Gorman (0-02), D Currams (1-01), P Geraghty. Subs: T Geraghty for Kilmartin (46); D Murray for G Healion (ET); S Guinan for Gorman (HT ET); E Grogan for Kiely (73); J Grogan for McConville (80).
REFEREE: Paud O’Dwyer (Carlow)
