Day 2 of the Leinster Club Championship kicked off with the first of 2 playoff matches to decide 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in group D. 147 Wexford overcame Potters Drogheda “B” by a 3 – 0 score line. Wexford then took on Celbridge to determine 1st and 2nd in the group. Wexford again came out on top 3 – 0.
The first Q-Final between No 1 seeds Kilkenny & NUI Maynooth started at 10 am and produced a closer match than the 3 – 0 score for Kilkenny suggests.
Potters “A” had a comprehensive 3 – 0 over the Ivy Rooms in the 2nd Q-final and Newbridge “A” accounted for Celbridge by 3 – 1 in the 3rd Q-final. In the last Q-final 147 Wexford won comfortably 3 – 0 v. Potters “C”.
In the semis Kilkenny showed their class defeating Potters “A” by 3 – 1. And Newbridge CYMS “A” overcame 147 Wexford 3 – 1 in the best game of the Championships so far, setting up a final between the 1 and 3 seeds.
In the playoff for the final available place in the B Championship Potters Drogheda “B” defeated St Patricks Trim 3 – 1.
Qualified for the A Championship are Kilkenny, Newbridge CYMS “A”, Potters Drogheda “A”, Celbridge, Ivy Rooms and 147 Wexford.
Qualified for the “B” Event are Potters Drogheda “C”, Potters Drogheda “B” and NUI Maynooth.
The final exceeded all that went before with the advantage swinging one then the other. In the end it came down to a last frame shootout between Martin Thorpe and James Bateman. Nerves were frayed but in the James produced a great finish to win the title for Kilkenny for the second year in a row. Well Done Kilkenny.
The Leinster Association would like to wish all our teams the best of luck at the All Irelands in Killarney in January. Leinster would also like to thank Marion, Yvonne and the Ivy Rooms staff for all their help over the last 2 days.
