Five-star Cats shine as Reid topples Horgan to take all-time scoring crown

Wexford had little answer as Reid brought his career championship tally to 41-657, surpassing Patrick Horgan’s all-time record of 32-683 with 1-1 of his 1-8 tally coming in additional time.

CLOSE QUARTERS: Kilkenny’s Mikey Butler with Jack Redmond of Wexford during the Leinster GAA Senior Hurling Championship Round 2, UPMC Nowlan Park, Kilkenny Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Leinster SHC: KILKENNY 5-21 WEXFORD 1-16 

What was shaping up to be a workmanlike win turned out to be comfortable to tune of 17 points for Kilkenny as TJ Reid broke the all-time championship scoring record.

Two goals in five second-half minutes set them on their way to a handsome first victory in the Leinster SH championship.

The jury is out on deciding if they have recovered from what Galway have unleashed on them these past couple of months but some order was restored here. Wexford were simply not up to it.

Goals by Liam Moore in the 44th minute and Cian Kenny in the 49th helped put Wexford away. Moore pounced after a TJ Reid sideline to the edge of the square bounced off Richie Lawlor’s hurley.

Tom Phelan had the freedom of UPMC Nowlan Park to run and then disguised a point attempt to put Kenny in the clear for Kilkenny’s third goal of the evening and an eight-point lead in front of a 13,576 crowd.

With Kilkenny’s half-back line ruling the roost, Martin Keoghan grabbed his second goal in the 55th minute to put 10 between the sides.

It was also an occasion where Reid brought his career championship tally to 41-657, surpassing Patrick Horgan’s all-time record of 32-683 with 1-1 of his 1-8 tally coming in additional time. His free with the last score of the game pushed up ahead of the Corkman, 

Nerves had been jangling around the venue beforehand and they transmitted to the home side who shot four wides between the fourth and seventh minutes. By the end of the half, Reid had contributed three of them, two from placed balls.

Belief in this team and that within themselves couldn’t but be rocked by recent games against Galway but Wexford hardly asked any questions of the hosts for most of the opening half.

Five points without reply, all from different scorers, propelled Kilkenny into a 0-7 to 0-2 by the 18th minute. Wexford were tripping themselves up with short puck-outs and putting little pressure on Kilkenny when they had the ball.

Three points in a row from Lee Chin, two from frees, and for all the hurling Kilkenny were doing, Wexford were just two in arrears by the 23rd minute.

Eoin Cody had a goal disallowed in the fifth minute for charging and he drove another shot towards the nets in the 26th minute but Mark Fanning was equal to it.

For all their possession, Kilkenny weren’t winning enough clean ball in the Wexford half although Keoghan was sharp and added his third point after a driving Reid run.

It was the first of three from The Cats as they jumped into an 0-11 to 0-6 lead after 33 minutes. Conor Hearne struck back for Wexford but Keoghan then produced a fine virtuoso goal two minutes later, catching Jordan Molloy’s delivery, turning, running then spanking the sliotar to the net.

Some of the tension among the home crowd dissipated but it was brief as seconds later Kevin Foley made the most of Hearne’s dispossession of Ivan Bolger and cancelled out the goal.

A four-point difference at half-time, 1-11 to 1-7, was apt for a leading team lacking conviction and a trailing one without the attitude to test them. But there was only one team performing thereafter.

Scorers for Kilkenny: T.J. Reid (1-8, 0-6 frees, 0-2 65s); M. Keoghan (2-3); C. Kenny (1-3); L. Moore (1-0); T. Phelan, J. Molloy (0-2 each); D. Blanchfield, K. Doyle, P. Deegan (0-1 each).

Scorers for Wexford: L. Chin (0-6, 4 frees); K. Foley (1-2); S. Roche, C. Byrne, D. Reck (0-2 each); C. Hearne, R. Banville (0-1 each).

KILKENNY: E. Murphy; M. Butler, M. Carey, I. Bolger; D. Blanchfield, D. Corcoran, P. Deegan; K. Doyle, J. Molloy; T. Phelan, C. Kenny, L. Moore; M. Keoghan, T.J. Reid (c), E. Cody.

Subs for Kilkenny: S. Donnelly for T. Phelan (56); T. Clifford for K. Doyle (62); S. Murphy for I. Bolger (70); R. Reid for C. Kenny (70+2); G. Dunne for M. Keoghan (70+6).

WEXFORD: M. Fanning; S. Reck, L. Ryan, D. Carley; D. Reck, R. Lawlor, C. Foley; C. Hearne, D. O’Leary; J. O’Connor (c), S. Roche, R. Banville; K. Foley, L. Chin, J. Redmond.

Subs for Wexford: C. Byrne for J. O’Connor (39); S. Rowley for S. Roche (51); D. Clarke for L. Ryan (57); J. Byrne for D. O’Leary (60); T. Kinsella for J. Redmond (70+5).

Referee: J. Murphy (Limerick).