Kilkenny collected their 25^th Leinster U21 hurling title with a facile 0-30 to 1-14 victory over 14-man Wexford at Nowlan Park.

With 6,089 in attendance on a pleasant evening for hurling, including Cats senior boss Brian Cody, Richie Leahy produced a Man of the Match display for the hosts, while Jason Cleere, Luke Scanlon and Sean Morrissey - amongst others - were also excellent.

The Slaneysiders were hoping to land their fourth U21 crown in five seasons but instead it was the Black & Amber who claimed their first in five as Wexford shipped a second provincial final defeat in four days and the Black & Amber added the U21 silverware to the minor title scooped at HQ on Sunday. The Cats will now face the Ulster champions on August 19th for a place in the All-Ireland U21 HC final.

The winners produced a superb first-half display to lead by eight points at the break, 0-17 to 1-6. Stephen O'Gorman had delivered the Model County's goal seven minutes in but their chances effectively went up in smoke eleven minutes later when they were reduced to 14 men.

With Leahy leading the way, the Cats fired over a series of stunning points from an array of angles throughout the first half. Eight different Kilkenny men found the target before the break.

Billy Ryan clipped over the opening score for the Cats in the third minute, after an untidy start to proceedings, and Leahy - a late addition to the starting XV - tagged on a second point within seconds as the Noresiders started to find their rhythm. Alan Murphy's free increased the gap but the Model County were briefly level in the seventh minute when full forward O'Gorman's shot evaded the despairing dive of Darren Brennan to trickle to the bottom right corner of the Kilkenny net.

Murphy's second converted free restored the hosts' lead and Leahy fired over his second point from the left wing in the tenth minute, 0-5 to 1-0. Joe Coleman and Leahy traded scores as Eddie Brennan's charges remained two to the good with 14 minutes played.

Centre back Cleere arrowed over the winners' seventh point from the middle of the park; Scanlon and Cathal Dunbar exchanged points and the game moved away from the visitors on 18 minute when wing back Brian Quigley was shown a straight red card for an accidental dangerous pull, with Murphy drilling over the resultant free to leave four between them. Another simple Murphy free from in front of the posts made it double scores after 20 minutes, 0-10 to 1-2.

Ruairi O'Connor and Morrissey swapped excellent scores at either end and - wearing the No.22 shirt - the outstanding Leahy smacked over his fourth excellent point of the half before centre forward John Donnelly finished with aplomb to give the purposeful Black & Amber a seven-point cushion.

When Coleman pulled back an exceptional pointed free from the right, Donnelly tore through the middle immediately to reply with a lovely strike; Ryan's excellent catch and finish extended the gap even further and midfielder Joe O'Connor pulled one back for the 14 men before Scanlon clipped over a sensational Cats point from great distance. Coleman (free) in turn replied before Kilkenny full forward Liam Blanchfield closed the first-half scoring with a terrific shot across his shoulder.

Coleman (free) pulled one back within a minute of the restart and sub John Doyle pegged back another pointed free after Murphy (free) and Leahy had scored for the Cats with Coleman on target from a free in between - 0-19 to 1-9 after 41 minutes.

A brace of converted frees from substitute James Bergin stretched the Cats' lead to nine by the three-quarters stage and Morrissey's brace made it an eleven-point game. O'Connor and sub Cormac Moore hit back but Kilkenny replacement  John Walsh, captain Pat Lyng and Cleere were on hand to make it 0-25 to 1-11 with ten minutes of normal time left.

With the intensity completely gone out of the game and senior managers Cody and Davy Fitzgerald looking like they were on the verge of possibly falling asleep on a balmy evening outdoors, Doyle and Dunbar pulled back two more consolation points, but Bergin stroked over another free for the winners before sub Eoin Kenny slotted one on the run to leave eleven between the teams again.

Substitute Darren Codd and Scanlon traded injury-time points and substitute Shane Walsh - wearing No.13 - added another for the winners before Cleere - with his third - closed the impressive winners' account as they captured their first provincial title at this level since 2012.

Kilkenny - D Brennan; M Cody, C Delaney, J Burke; D Mullen, J Cleere (0-2), T Walsh; L Scanlon (0-4), P Lyng (0-1); A Murphy (0-6, 5f), J Donnelly (0-2), S Morrissey (0-4); R Leahy (0-6), L Blanchfield (0-1), B Ryan (0-1). Subs: R Bergin for J Burke, J Bergin (0-2f) for A Murphy, E Kenny for L Blanchfield, J Walsh for B Ryan, S Walsh (0-1) for J Donnelly.

Wexford - D Hughes; C Firman, D Byrne, S Reck; B Quigley, A Maddock, G Molloy; J O'Connor (0-1), R White; S Kelly, R O'Connor (0-2), J Coleman (0-5f); C Dunbar (0-2), S O'Gorman (1-0), H O'Connor (0-1). Subs: J Firman for S Kelly, D Codd (0-1) for H O'Connor, J Doyle (0-2, 1f) for J Coleman, C Moore for R White, D Pepper for S O'Gorman.

Referee - P Murphy.

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