Kilkenny CBS’ semi-final win over Good Counsel on Wednesday afternoon has set up yet another all-Kilkenny Leinster Schools ‘A’ senior hurling final.
CBS will meet St Kieran’s College in the decider, as the county’s dominance of schools hurling in the province continues. One of the two schools has won every senior Leinster title since 2010. While all but one of the schools to have contested a final in that period has been from Kilkenny.
St Kieran’s are in search of a third title in a row, the Kilkenny school top both the provincial (54) and Dr Croke Cup (21) rolls of honour by quite a distance.
Other than St Peter's College in Wexford (2015) and another Kilkenny school, Castlecomer Community School (2011), St Kieran's and CBS will have contested all of the last eight finals.
In that time they have made a combined eight appearances in the Dr Croke Cup final, with St Kieran's winning the last three.
In comparison, in six-county Munster's Dr Harty Cup, there have been four different winners since 2010. Nine different finalists, hailing from four different counties.
This domination on the schools front though hasn’t necessarily transferred directly into similar success for Kilkenny’s underage teams.
Dublin and Kilkenny have shared bragging rights in the Leinster minor championship of late - Kilkenny winning four titles, and Dublin three, since 2010.
And they have won only one Under-21 Leinster title in that period, while there’s been no Under-21 All-Ireland triumph since 2008.
Kilkenny, however, have won 10 of the last 12 Leinster senior titles.
In their All-Ireland success in 2009 (four in a row), there were 15 St Kieran’s past-pupils involved.
Nevertheless, while intercounty underage results would suggest that Leinster is set to become a lot more competitive at senior level, the schools championship certainly tells us otherwise.
