u21 Inter-county

All roads lead to Parnell Park on Wed. July 15th for the under 21 final. Dublin, with wins over Kildare and Wexford, will feel confident that they can repeat the great win of two years ago.Kilkenny, current Leinster and All Ireland under 21 champions, will be difficult to beat. What a great fillip it will be if  Dublin can take the trophy away frim Kilkenny.

Supporters can play a big part by turning out in big numbers. We look forward to a wonderful evening's hurling.

Dublin 1-24 Wexford 0-8.

Dublin cruised to an emphatic 1-24 to 0-8 victory over an disappointing Wexford in their Leinster Hurling U21 semi-final at Parnell Park last night. The Dubs excelled in every sector of the field with Rory O'Carroll outstanding at centre-back whilst corner backs Oisín Gough and Gary Kelly also impressed . Conor Clinton and Simon Lambert more than held their own in midfield and Paul Garbutt and Peter Kelly were the pick of the forward line..

Dublin u-21 manager, Ciaran Barr, makes five changes to the team that defeated Kildare in the Leinster q-final. Martin Quilty starts at full-back against Wexford, while up front Pater Kelly, Barry O Rourke, Paul Garbutt and David O' Connor will start the game. The team also includes four players from the senior squad who featured in the win over Antrim- Oisin Gough, David Treacy, Liam Rushe and Simon Lambert who was a second half substitute.

Dublin (v Wexford):Finn McGarry, Garry Kelly, Martin Quilty, Oisín Gough, Paul Schutte, Rory O'Carroll, Ronan Walsh, Simon Lambert, Conor Clinton, Peter Kelly, David Treacy, Paul Garbutt, David O'Connor, Liam Rushe, Barry O'Rourke. Subs; Kevin Byrne, Eamon Walsh, Michael May, Philip Purtell, Dean Kelly, Emmet McCabe, Aidan Roche, Kevin Warren, Darren Kelly.

Dublin 1-10      Kildare  1-3

Dublin u-21 hurlers advanced to the Leinster semi-final when defeating Kildare in the q-final in Clane last evening. Dublin elected to play with the wind in the opening half but found it difficult to gain the upperhand over Kildare in the early stages of the game.

A Kildare penalty in the opening minutes was well save by 'keeper Finn McGarry. The Dublin defence, in particular Oisin Gough, dealt well with any threat posed by the host's attack. Points from Darren Whelan, wing back Ronan Walsh, Emmett McCabe and David Treacy helped the Dubs to a 0-7 to 0-0 interval lead.

Dublin u-21 hurlers will play Kildare in Clane on Tuesday next, 26th May, at 7.30pm in the Leinster Championship. Kildare recently overcame Carlow in the Lenster "A" final so they will be well prepared for this game. Manager Ciarán Barr and his selectors Declan Feeney and John McEvoy are well aware of the stiff opposition they will receive from Kildare.

The Dublin team has five members off the senior panel- Oisín Gough, Liam Rushe, David Treacy, Peter Kelly and captain Simon Lambert. In 2007 Dublin's very successful u-21 team, that went all the way to the All-Ireland final, had a very difficult  first game against Kildare at Clane. Hopes are high that this team will bring more success.

Former Antrim senior hurling captain, Ciarán Barr, has been appointed as the new Dublin u-21 hurling manager. Barr, an All Star in 1988, captained the Antrim team beaten by Tipperary in the 1989 All Ireland final. He subsequently moved to Dublin where he played with the county hurlers and also excelled with St Vincent's.