St Mullins (Carlow) 2-13

Cuala (Dublin) 0-18

Carlow champions St Mullins sprung a colossal shock in the Leinster club senior hurling championship this afternoon by sending Dublin giants Cuala crashing out of the competition.

Played before a sizeable crowd at Netwatch Cullen Park, the home side snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying stages and advance into the last four of the province.

Only David Treacy’s point separated the sides at half-time (0-9 to 0-8) after some sublime shooting from the Cuala marksman and his counterpart Marty Kavanagh at the other end.

The Dublin champions had four early wides before getting off the mark but the scores of free-taker Treacy and Sean Moran (2) were what saw them lead at the halfway stage before the Carlow champions hit the front with a goal from Jack Kavanagh that snuck in under the visitors’ crossbar two minutes into the restart.

Brian Fitzgerald hit back with a point for Cuala before the two-time All-Ireland winners introduced Con O’Callaghan to the fray on 43 minutes.

Treacy narrowed the margin down to one and then levelled with his sixth point of the afternoon prior to Marty Kavanagh exchanging points with the Dublin forward to set-up a tense finish in Carlow.

Treacy steered the visitors in front with five minutes left on the clock but it was the Saints that got the rub of the green with a James Doyle goal and free from Carlow captain Kavanagh which saw them hold out for a historic triumph.  

St Mullins - K Kehoe; C Kavanagh, P Doyle, G Bennett; J Doran, M Walsh, P Walsh; J Doyle (1-1), O Boland; P Boland, S Murphy (0-1), M Kavanagh (0-10, 9f); J O’Neill, J Kavanagh (1-1), P Connors. Subs: P Kehoe for J O’Neill, O Ryan for P Walsh, J Murphy for O Boland, Boland for O Ryan.

Cuala - S Brennan; D O'Floinn (0-2), C O’Callaghan, S Timlin; S Moran (0-2), P Schutte, J Sheanon; S Treacy, N Kenny; J Malone (0-1), M Schutte, D O’Connell (0-1); C Sheanon (0-1), N Waldron, D Treacy (0-10, 8f). Subs: C O’Callaghan for N Kenny, B Fitzgerald (0-1) for N Waldron, C Waldron for C Sheanon.

Referee - M Murtagh.

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