My Favourite Game: Top 10 Limerick Hurling games this Century- 7

With no sport to keep us entertained for the foreseeable future, it is time to get creative and reminisce about all sport has offered us over the years.

As such, I began to examine my favourite hurling games involving Limerick since I first attended the Gaelic Grounds in 2007 as a 10-year-old.

There has been some huge highs and many more lows in Limerick hurling circles over the past thirteen years and for each of the next ten days I will count down my top ten favourite Limerick games.

Earlier this week I went through the honourable mentions, and also,

Number 10.

Number 9.

Number 8.

Today we have number 7.

---

#7.

Limerick 0-27 : 1-22 Kilkenny (2018 All-Ireland Quarter-Final)

15 July 2018 at Semple Stadium

Limerick’s first win over Kilkenny in 45-years really was the game that made the nation stand up and take note of John Kiely’s young side.

In a summer dictated by the unprecedented heatwave and hurling the latter was to the fore as the sunshine disappeared as two hurling heavyweights went toe to toe.

Limerick came into the game after defeating Carlow in the preliminary quarter-final while the Cats had been beaten by Galway in the Leinster final replay.

Kilkenny were first off the mark in Thurles and continued in that vein as they raced into a 0-7 to 0-3 lead.

Kilkenny were wasteful with some wides but were lucky to count on Eoin Murphy who saved certain goals from Gearoid Hegarty and Aaron Gillane.

Limerick started to fire towards the conclusion of the half and held a 0-15 to 0-12 lead at half-time with nine different players getting on the scoresheet.

Limerick had extended their advantage to four within ten minutes of the restart before the Kilkenny surge came.

Six of the next seven scores would come from the Cats as they took the lead. Mulcahy settled the Limerick nerves before Darragh O’Donovan and Peter Casey put Limerick into the ascendancy once more.

John Donnelly redueced the deficit to one before Richie Hogan notched the only goal of the game with six minutes to play to put Kilkenny back in the driving seat.

Yet Limerick, would score three on the trot to retake the lead but were twarthed by Leahy again who levelled proceedings.

It would be Limerick however who finihshed strong with Tom Morrissey’s wonder point giving them the lead before Aaron Gillane’s free sealed a first win over Kilkenny since 1973.

Limerick: Nicky Quaid; Sean Finn, Mike Casey, Richie English; Diarmaid Byrnes (0-01), Declan Hannon (0-01), Dan Morrissey; Darragh O’Donovan (0-03, 0-01’sl), Cian Lynch; Gearoid Hegarty (0-03), Kyle Hayes (0-03), Tom Morrissey (0-04); Aaron Gillane (0-05, 0-02f), Seamus Flanagan (0-01), Graeme Mulcahy (0-03).

Subs: Peter Casey (0-02) for Flanagan (59), Shane Dowling (0-01) for Hegarty (59), William O’Donoghue for O’Donovan (63)

Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Paul Murphy, Padraig Walsh, Paddy Deegan; Joey Holden, Cillian Buckley (c), Robert Lennon; Conor Fogarty (0-01), James Maher (0-03); Martin Keoghan, Richie Hogan (1-03), Pat Lyng; Billy Ryan, Colin Fennelly (0-02), TJ Reid (0-07, 0-05f, 0-01’65).

Subs: Liam Blanchfield (0-01) for Lyng (35), Richie Leahy (0-04) for Keoghan (45), John Donnelly (0-01) for Fennelly (62), Ger Aylward for Ryan (72).

Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath).

What a spectacular hurling quarter-final! It finishes Limerick 0-27 Kilkenny 1-22. Limerick march on to meet Cork in the semi-final!
Check out the full-time highlights here! pic.twitter.com/D4Svgikqgb

— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 15, 2018