They have won the last four Guinness All-Ireland hurling titles between them and now Cork and Kilkenny head for another big Croke Park showdown to decide the destination of the Liam MacCarthy Cup for 2006. Cork are bidding to win the title for the third year in a row - a feat last achieved by the same county in 1976-77-78 - while Kilkenny, who themselves were denied the treble by Cork two years ago, will be attempting to wreck theLeeside ambitions. It all adds up to what should be a fascinating contest which will be refereed by Barry Kelly from Westmeath. The curtain raiser will feature Galway v Tipperary in the All-Ireland minor hurling final. PATHS TO THE FINAL CORK Cork 0-20 Clare 0-14 (Munster semi-final) Cork 2-14 Tipperary 1-14 (Munster final) Cork 0-19 Limerick 0-18 (All-Ireland quarter-final) Cork 1-16 Waterford 1-15 (All-Ireland semi-final) Average For: 1-17 Average Against: 0-17 SCORERS Joe Deane.....0-26 Brian Corcoran....1-6 Ben O'Connor...1-6 Jerry O'Connor....0-8 Neil Ronan.....0-7 Tom Kenny.....0-5 Cathal Naughton...1-1 Niall McCarthy....0-3 Tommy McCarthy..0-3 John Gardiner.....0-2 Ronan Curran.....0-1 Kieran Murphy...0-1 Total.........3-69 KILKENNY Kilkenny 1-23 Westmeath 1-9 (Leinster semi-final) Kilkenny 1-23 Wexford 2-12 (Leinster final) Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 3-14 (All-Ireland quarter-final) Kilkenny 2-21 Clare 1-16 (All-Ireland semi-final) Average for: 2-21 Average Against: 2-12 SCORERS Henry Shefflin.......2-39 Martin Comerford.................0-12 James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick....1-7 Eoin McCormack.....2-3 Eoin Larkin........0-6 Michael Rice.........0-4 Derek Lyng........0-4 Eddie Brennan......0-4 Richie Power.......0-4 Richie Mullally.......0-3 Aidan Fogarty........1-0 Willie O'Dwyer......0-1 Jackie Tyrrell.........0-1 Michael Fennelly......0-1 Total..........6-89 GUINNESS ALL-IRELAND SH FINAL SHORTS * Cork are seeking their 31st All-Ireland SH title, whereas Kilkenny are bidding for their 29th. * Cork have remained unbeaten in the championship since losing to Waterford in the 2004 Munster final. Since then Cork have beaten Tipperary (3), Waterford (3), Clare (2), Antrim (1), Wexford (1), Kilkenny (1), Galway (1), Limerick 1. * Henry Shefflin seems destined to top the scoring charts in this year's Guinness championship scoring charts. He is already on 2-39 (just two points behind Tipperary's Eoin Kelly who is on 3-38). Joe Deane is Cork's top scorer on 0-26. *What odds a draw? The last All-Ireland hurling final to end level was all of 47 years ago when Kilkenny and Waterford finished all square (5-5 to 1-17). Waterford won the replay by 3-12 to 1-10. *Brian Cody is managing Kilkenny into an All-Ireland final for the 6th time. Kilkenny won it under his guidance in 2000-2002-2003 and lost in 1999 and 2004. *John Allen was a selector under then manager, Donal O'Grady when Cork won the 2004 All-Ireland final. Allen took over as manager for the 2005 season and Cork have remained unbeaten in the championship under his guidance, winning all nine games. *It's all of 14 years since Brian Corcoran played in his first All-Ireland SH final. He was at left full-back on the Cork team that lost to Kilkenny by 3-10 to 1-12 in the 1992 decider. He was at centre-back on the team that beat Kilkenny in the 1999 All-Ireland final and at full-forward on the team that also accounted for the Black-and-Amber two years ago. He completed his All-Ireland treble against Galway last year. He will be making his 38th senior championship appearance in the final. Sean Og O hAilpin and Joe Deane (36 appearances each), are next in line on the Cork appearance list, followed by Diarmuid O'Sullivan (35), Donal Og Cusack (33), Timmy McCarthy (31) and Ben O'Connor (30). *Michael Kavanagh and Henry Shefflin are the most 'capped' Kilkenny players, having lined out in 34 senior championship games. Next in line are James McGarry (33), Eddie Brennan (27), Noel Hickey (27) and JJ Delaney (26). *Cork have had two close calls in their last two games, beating Limerick and Waterford by a point each. Kilkenny have had a more comfortable run to the final as the closest any of their four rivals came was when Galway staged a rally in the quarter-final to come within five points of them. PREVIOUS ALL-IRELAND SH TREBLES Cork have completed three All-Ireland trebles, one of which they turned into a four-timer. Tipperary have achieved the treble twice while Kilkenny recorded one treble in 1911-12-13. Cork 1892-93-94 1941-42-43 (they completed the four-timer in 1944) 1976-77-78 Tipperary 1898-99-1900 1949-50-51 Kilkenny 1911-12-13. ALL-IRELAND HONOURS Cork 30 - (1890-1892-1893-1894-1902-1903-1919-1926-1928-1929-1931-1941-1942-1943-1944-1946-1952-1953-1954-1966-1970-1976-1977-1978-1984-1986-1990-1999-2004-2005. Kilkenny - 28 (1904-1905-1907-1909-1911-1912-1913-1922-1932-1933-1935-1939-1947-1957-1963-1967-1969-1972-1974-1975-1979-1982-1983-1992-1993-2000-2002-2003. PREVIOUS ALL-IRELAND FINAL CLASHES Cork and Kilkenny have met 22 times in the All-Ireland final with the score standing as follows: Kilkenny 12; Cork 8; Draws 2. 2004 - Cork 0-17 Kilkenny 0-9 2003 - Kilkenny 1-14 Cork 1-11 1999 - Cork 0-13 Kilkenny 0-12 1992 - Kilkenny 3-10 Cork 1-12 1983 - Kilkenny 2-14 Cork 2-12 1982 - Kilkenny 3-18 Cork 1-13 1978 - Cork 1-15 Kilkenny 2-8 1972 - Kilkenny 3-24 Cork 5-11 1969 - Kilkenny 2-15 Cork 2-9 1966 - Cork 3-9 Kilkenny 1-10 1947 - Kilkenny 0-14 Cork 2-7 1946 - Cork 7-5 Kilkenny 3-8 1939 - Kilkenny 2-7 Cork 3-3 1931 - Cork 5-8 Kilkenny 3-4 (2nd replay) 1931 - Cork 2-5 Kilkenny 2-5 (replay) 1931 - Cork 1-6 Kilkenny 1-6 1926 - Cork 4-6 Kilkenny 2-0 1912 - Kilkenny 2-1 Cork 1-3 1907 - Kilkenny 3-12 Cork 4-8 1905 - Kilkenny 7-7 Cork 2-9 1904 - Kilkenny 1-9 Cork 1-8 1893 - Cork 6-8 Kilkenny 0-2 HOW KILKENNY WON THEIR 28 ALL-IRELAND TITLES 1904 - Kilkenny 1-9 Cork 1-8 1905 - Kilkenny 7-7 Cork 2-9 1907 - Kilkenny 3-12 Cork 4-8 1909 - Kilkenny 4-6 Tipperary 0-12 1911 - Kilkenny 3-3 Tipperary 2-1 1912 - Kilkenny 2-1 Cork 1-3 1913 - Kilkenny 2-4 Tipperary 1-2 1922 - Kilkenny 4-2 Tipperary 2-6 1932 - Kilkenny 3-3 Clare 2-3 1933 - Kilkenny 1-7 Limerick 0-6 1935 - Kilkenny 2-5 Limerick 2-4 1939 - Kilkenny 2-7 Cork 3-3 1947 - Kilkenny 0-14 Cork 2-7 1957 - Kilkenny 4-10 Waterford 3-12 1963 - Kilkenny 4-17 Waterford 6-8 1967 - Kilkenny 3-8 Tipperary 2-7 1969 - Kilkenny 2-15 Cork 2-9 1972 - Kilkenny 3-24 Cork 5-11 1974 - Kilkenny 3-19 Limerick 1-13 1975 - Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 2-10 1979 - Kilkenny 2-12 Galway 1-8 1982 - Kilkenny 3-18 Cork 1-13 1983 - Kilkenny 2-14 Cork 2-12 1992 - Kilkenny 3-10 Cork 1-12 1993 - Kilkenny 2-17 Galway 1-15 2000 - Kilkenny 5-15 Offaly 1-14 2002 - Kilkenny 2-20 Clare 0-19 2003 - Kilkenny 1-14 Cork 1-11 HOW CORK WON THEIR 30 TITLES 1890 - Cork awarded title 1892 - Cork 2-4 Dublin 1-1 1893 - Cork 6-8 Kilkenny 0-2 1894 - Cork 5-20 Dublin 2-0 1902 - Cork 3-13 London 0-0 1903 - Cork 3-16 London 1-1 1919 - Cork 6-4 Dublin 2-4 1926 - Cork 4-6 Kilkenny 2-0 1928 - Cork 6-12 Galway 1-0 1929 - Cork 4-9 Galway 1-3 1931- Cork 1-6 Kilkenny 1-6 (draw) 1931- Cork 2-5 Kilkenny 2-5 (replay) 1931- Cork 5-8 Kilkenny 3-4 (2nd replay) 1941 - Cork 5-11 Dublin 0-6 1942 - Cork 2-14 Dublin 3-4 1943 - Cork 5-16 Antrim 0-4 1944 - Cork 2-13 Dublin 1-2 1946 - Cork 7-5 Kilkenny 3-8 1952 - Cork 2-14 Dublin 0-7 1953 - Cork 3-3 Galway 0-8 1954 - Cork 1-9 Wexford 1-6 1966 - Cork 3-9 Kilkenny 1-10 1970 - Cork 6-20 Kilkenny 5-10 1976 - Cork 2-21 Wexford 4-11 1977 - Cork 1-17 Wexford 3-8 1978 - Cork 1-15 Kilkenny 2-8 1984 - Cork 3-16 Offaly 1-12 1986 - Cork 4-13 Galway 2-15 1990 - Cork 5-15 Galway 2-21 1999 - Cork 0-13 Kilkenny 0-12 2004 - Cork 0-17 Kilkenny 0-9 2005 - Cork 1-21 Galway 1-16 2006 GUINNESS SHC SCOREBOARD MUNSTER May 14: Quarter-final: Tipperary 0-22 Limerick 2-12, Thurles. May 28: Cork 0-20 Clare 0-14, Thurles. June 4: Tipperary 3-14 Waterford 1-12 Pairc Ui Chaoimh. June 25: Final: Cork 2-14 Tipperary 1-14, Thurles. LEINSTER May 21: Quarter-finals: Westmeath 0-13 Dublin 0-11, Portlaoise; Offaly 2-12 Laois 0-8, Portlaoise. June 10: Semi-final: Kilkenny 1-23 Westmeath 1-9, Mullingar. June 11: Semi-final: Wexford 0-9 Offaly 0-8, Nowlan Park. July 2: Kilkenny 1-23 Wexford 2-12 ULSTER May 7: Quarter-final: Antrim 2-16 London 1-14, Ruislip. May 14: Semi-final: Antrim 2-23 Down 0-12, Casement Park. May 21: Semi-final: New York 1-18 Derry 1-12, Gaelic Park Final: October 22, Boston. ALL-IRELAND QUALIFIERS June 17: Group A: Galway 7-18 Laois 2-13, Portlaoise; Group B: Offaly 1-17 Dublin 0-17, Parnell Park. June 18: Group A: Waterford 3-22 Westmeath 1-14 Mullingar; Group B: Clare 2-21 Limerick 0-10, Cusack Park. July 1: Group A: Laois 2-15 Westmeath 2-9, Mullingar; Group B: Dublin 4-21 Dublin 1-16, Parnell Park; Limerick 2-29 Offaly 2-19, Tullamore. July 2: Waterford 1-25 Galway 2-20, Walsh Park. July 8: Group A: Galway 3-21 Westmeath 0-8, Pearse Stadium; Waterford 2-17 Laois 1-13, Portlaoise; Group B: Limerick 2-16 Dublin 1-13, Gaelic Grounds; Dublin; Clare 2-15 Offaly 1-9, Gaelic Grounds. July 15: Relegation final: Dublin 0-16 Westmeath 0-8, Tullamore (Westmeath drop down to Tier 2 (Christy Ring Cup) next season) ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS July 22: All-Ireland quarter-finals: Cork 0-19 Limerick 0-18, Thurles; Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 3-14, Thurles. July 23: All-Ireland quarter-finals: Clare 1-27 Wexford 1-15, Croke Park; Waterford 1-22 Tipperary 3-13, Croke Park. August 6: All-Ireland semi-final: Cork 1-16 Waterford 1-15, Croke Park. August 13: All-Ireland semi-final: Kilkenny 2-21 Clare 1-16, Croke Park. Next Sunday: Final: Cork v Kilkenny, Croke Park. Tweet

Most Read Stories