Hurling: Galway pull off shock win

Galway 2-15, Kilkenny 1-13

Fourteen-man Galway pulled off the shock of the Guinness Hurling

Championship by beating defending champions and All-Ireland favourites

Kilkenny.

In a match that became the battle of the free-takers Eugene Cloonan

reigned supreme - scoring 2-09 for the Tribesmen.

Cloonan's opportunist goal from a free in the fourth minute set Galway on

their way and with 10 minutes gone they had 1-01 on the scoreboard.

Kilkenny had yet to score and in the 11th minute Henry Shefflin opened

their account with a free.

Kilkenny were always chasing the game and even DJ Carey was being

silenced by the Galway backs.

The backline were put under pressure however, on the half-hour mark when

Gregory Kennedy was sent off for a foul on Carey.

However Kilkenny failed to make use of the extra man and Galway were

ahead by a goal at the interval.

Brian Higgins was brought on as a sub for Galway and had an immediate

impact. The Galway forwards, spurred on by Cloonan, went on the rampage

in the second half, but many of their efforts went wide.

On 53 minutes, Cloonan scored a second goal with his boot to leave two

clear goals between the sides.

Kevin Broderick scored the best point of the game on 68 minutes when he

soloed up the field, past two defenders and tapped neatly over the bar.

A late comeback through a DJ Carey goal on 70 minutes served as a mere

consolation for the Cats, who were well beaten by an unfancied Galway

side.