Offaly, Galway and Dublin avoid Cats in Leinster SHC draw

The draws for the 2011 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship took place tonight at Croke Park, with reigning champions Kilkenny getting a bye into the semi-finals.

The Cats beat Galway by 1-19 to 1-12 in July to seal a record sixth successive Leinster SHC title win, and a seventh would ideally launch their bid to reclaim the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Brian Cody's men will have to lie in wait for their semi-final opponents next summer, with Antrim, Laois or Wexford battling it out for that honour.

Tonight's draw, performed by Leinster Council Chairman Sheamus Howlin and CEO Michael Delaney, set up Antrim v Laois and Carlow v Westmeath as the two preliminary round ties.

Anthony Daly and Joe Dooley, who were both recently reappointed, will have their respective Dublin and Offaly sides primed for a tasty-looking quarter-final. Both the Dubs and Faithfuls reached the third phase of the All-Ireland qualifiers this past summer.

Wexford will meet the winners of Antrim v Laois, and John McIntyre's Galway charges will look to overcome either Carlow or Westmeath.

A repeat of this year's Kilkenny-Galway final is on the cards, but Dublin, Offaly and Wexford will also have designs on ending the Cats' provincial reign. Particularly Dublin who last won the Bob O'Keeffe Cup in 1961.

2011 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship draw:

Preliminary Round:

Antrim v Laois

Carlow v Westmeath

Quarter-final draw:

Dublin v Offaly

Antrim/Laois v Wexford

Galway v Carlow/Westmeath

Semi-finals draw:

Dublin/Offaly v Galway/Carlow/Westmeath

Antrim/Laois/Wexford v Kilkenny