2018 Walsh Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Province | Leinster |
| Year | 2018 |
| Sponsor | Bord na Móna |
| Winners | |
| Champions | Wexford (16th win) |
| Manager | Davy Fitzgerald |
| Captain | Lee Chin and Matthew O'Hanlon |
| Runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Kilkenny |
| Manager | Brian Cody |
| Captain | Cillian Buckley |
| Other | |
| Matches played | 14 |
The 2018 Walsh Cup was an inter-county hurling competition based mainly in the Irish province of Leinster. It took place between December 2017 and January 2018.[1][2]
For the first time, no third-level college teams took part. 10 Leinster counties, plus Antrim, competed.[3][4] Longford and Louth entered the second-ranked Kehoe Cup.
Wexford were the 2018 champions, beating Kilkenny 3–2 in a free-taking competition after the final ended level on 1-24 each after extra time.[5] This was the first inter-county hurling game to be decided by the taking of frees.[6]
Format
There are 11 teams, in three groups of 3 teams and one group of 2 teams. In the three-team groups, each team plays the other teams once. In the two-team group, the teams play each other twice. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.
The four group winners advance to the semi-finals.
Group stage
Group 1
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wexford
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +44 |
 Carlow
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +9 |
 Wicklow
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | –53 |
Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kilkenny
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +47 |
 Laois
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | –18 |
 Kildare
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | –29 |
Group 3
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dublin
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +27 |
 Meath
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -15 |
 Antrim
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | –12 |
Group 4
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Offaly
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +5 |
 Westmeath
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | –5 |
Knock-out stage
Semi-finals
| Offaly | 3-11 – 1-20 | Kilkenny |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Kinsella 1-3, Shane Dooley 1-1 (1-0 pen, 0-1f), Eoin Cahill 0-3 (0-3f), Conor Mahon 1-0, Thomas Geraghty 0-2, Oisin Kelly (0-1f), Liam Langton 0-1 each. | Report | Alan Murphy 0-7 (0-6f), Richie Reid 0-5, Richie Leahy 0-3, Ger Malone 1-0, John Donnelly 0-2, John Walsh, Bill Sheehan and Conor Martin 0-1 each. |
| Dublin | 0-16 – 1-20 | Wexford |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Winters 0-6 (5f), Donal Burke 0-4 (4f), Fergal Whitely 0-3, Cian McBride, Johnny McCaffrey and Danny Sutcliffe 0-1 each. | Report | Paul Morris 0-6 (4f), Cathal Dunbar 1-1, Paudie Foley (0-1f, 0-1 65), Kevin Foley and Jack Guiney 0-3 each, Conor McDonald and David Dunne 0-2 each, Harry Kehoe 0-1. |
Final
20 January 2018 2 p.m. GMT Final |
| Kilkenny | 1-24 (27) – (27) 1-24 (a.e.t.) (2–3 fk) |
Wexford |
|---|---|---|
| Gls: Alan Murphy 1pen Pts: Alan Murphy 13 (6fs, 1 '65'), Ollie Walsh 2, Walter Walsh 2, Martin Keoghan 2, Eoin Murphy 2fs, Conor Fogarty 1, Richie Reid 1, Conor Martin 1 |
Gls: Kevin Foley 1 Pts: Paul Morris 9 (7fs), Jack Guiney 5 (3fs), Harry Kehoe 3, Mark Fanning 1f, Eoin Moore 1, Cathal Dunbar 1, David Dunne 1, Jack O'Connor 1, Lee Chin 1, Conor McDonald 1 | |
| Free-taking competition | ||
Eoin Murphy  Conor Martin Lester Ryan  Alan Murphy John Walsh
|
Paul Morris Lee Chin Conor McDonald Jack Guiney Mark Fanning
| |
References
- ^ "2018 O'Byrne & Walsh Cup Groups Decided". dublingaa.ie.
- ^ "Kilkenny hurling: Brian Cody's men will start in Walsh Cup on January 3".
- ^ "Bord na Móna Walsh Cup S.H. 2018 - Leinster GAA".
- ^ "2018 Bord na Móna Walsh Cup Draw". 19 November 2017.
- ^ "WATCH: Wexford crowned Walsh Cup champions after thrilling game is decided by free-taking contest". Irish Independent. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ "Wexford edge Cats in hurling's first ever free-taking competition to settle pulsating Walsh Cup final". The 42. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.