London’s Kilburn keep cup

London club Kilburn Gaels retained the Tom Semple Cup at the International Hurling Festival in Thurles at the weekend, beating Dunboyne of Meath in the final by 2-7 to 0-9.

The festival was inaugurated last year by the Thurles Sarsfields club as a showcase for hurling in the town where the GAA was founded and, this time around, 10 clubs from across Ireland as well as two from London took part in the main competition at Dr Morris Park and the Sarsfields’ club pitch on Saturday.

The club originally hoped to stage the final of the Semple Cup tournament and also the Carew Cup — for clubs knocked out in the first round of the Semple Cup — in Semple Stadium but the GAA’s decision to hold three All-Ireland qualifiers in the venue on Saturday ruled that out.