Defending champions Kilkenny, and TJ Reid in particular, turned the misery of the Leinster senior hurling championship in Salthill seven days ago into one big celebration at UPMC Nowlan Park this afternoon.
The Cats found their championship feet to beat Wexford, but of even more relevance so early in the season was the setting of a new all time championship scoring record. Reid went to number one in the all time scoring charts when the Ballyhale Shamrocks man popped over his last point, the easiest of frees in the 80th minute.
That simple point was of huge significance, however. It took Reid's all time tally to an incredible 41 goals and 657 points in a 20 year championship run. Reid shot 1-08 in the defeat to Galway last weekend. He repeated the feat this time, but he must have known the high stakes when he stood up to the last free.
Only minutes earlier an easy chance of a point fell to Reid, but he refused it and drove on instead to drill home a goal. The man gave a display and home fans in the 13,576 crowd loved it.
The win and Reid’s record effort certainly lifted spirits on Noreside. The Cats will head to face Offaly away in two weeks time a different team and in a much more upbeat mood.
The first half exploded into life from the throw-in, and the hectic action on the pitch matched the sizzling heat of the day. The fans were treated to fast, open fare.
Kilkenny looked sharper than the opposition during the early stages, when they threw the ball around with intent and they were on to every breaking ball. However, poor finish and seven first half wides didn’t help their cause. By the finish the tally of wides was a hefty 14.
Twice during the opening eight minutes the scores were level, and Kilkenny had a goal from Eoin Cody disallowed. However, once Tom Phelan pointed the Cats in front in the ninth minute they went on a healthy scoring spree.
Wexford conceded five points without reply. The visitors’ third point was posted from a free by Lee Chin in the 18th minute. Chin repeated the action within minutes when a defender over-carried a ball racing out of defence to cut the gap to 0-04 to 0-07.
It was nip-and-tuck from there for a while until Reid cut open a gap for Cody to have a pop at goal in the 25th minute. The effort was blocked. The Cats finishing continued to let them down, but when the all action Martin Keoghan fielded a high ball in the 34th minute before slicing through the Wexford defence and shooting a goal, all seemed well (1-11 to 0-07).
The home fans’ joy was short lived. Within a minute Wexford had the ball in the net at the other end, a splendid finish by Kevin Foley after a lovely pass from Conor Hearne left him in an acre of space to pick his spot.
That goal left it all to play for, with Kilkenny leaders by 1-11 to 1-07 at the break when they might have been a good bit better off.
The action was even in the early stages of the second half, but once Liam Moore clipped home a goal for Kilkenny in the 44th minute (2-12 to 1-09) the game began to inch away from Wexford. The losers nearly hit back for a goal almost immediately, but luck was out for Kevin Foley, who had to settle for a point.
A Cian Kenny goal extended the gap to 3-13 to 1-11, but even worse was to follow for Wexford in the 55th minute. This time Martin Keoghan won a difficult ball before bursting through for a one-v-one against keeper Mark Fanning. Keoghan batted the ball tennis style into the net (4-13 to 1-12). The Tullaroan was a star man, shooting 2-03. On any other day he would have been the star of the day, but not this day.
However, it was all building up to Reid’s coronation. And the Ballyhale Shamrocks man still has a huge part of the season ahead of him.
Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Mikey Carey, Ivan Bolger; David Blanchfield (0-01), Darragh Corcoran, Paddy Deegan (0-01); Killian Doyle (0-01), Jordan Molloy (0-02); Liam Moore (1-00), Cian Kenny (1-03), Tom Phelan (0-02); Martin Keoghan (2-03), TJ Reid (1-08, 5f, 2 65s), Eoin Cody.
Subs: Stephen Donnelly for T Phelan 55; Timmy Clifford for K Doyle 61; Shane Murphy for I Bolger 69; Richie Reid for C Kenny 71; Gearoid Dunne for M Keoghan 76.
Wexford: Mark Fanning; Darragh Carley, Conor Foley, Shane Reck; Damien Reck (0-02), Richie Lawlor, Diarmuid O’Leary; Conor Hearne (0-01), Liam Ryan; Ross Banville (0-01), Simon Roche (0-02), Jack O’Connor; Kevin Foley (1-02), Lee Chin (0-6, 4f), Jack Redmond.
Subs: Cillian Byrne (0-02) for J O’Connor 38; Sean Rowley for S Roche 50; David Clarke for LRyan 56; James Byrne D O’Leary 58; Tomas Kinsella for J Redmond 75.
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).
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