The 2003 Railway Cup Hurling Championship was the 76th series of the inter-provincial hurling Railway Cup.[1] Three matches were played between 18 October 2003 and 8 November 2003 to decide the title. It was contested by Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.
| Date | 18 October 2003 - 8 November 2003 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |  Connacht Leinster Munster Ulster | ||
| Champions | Leinster (23rd title) Michael Kavanagh (captain) | ||
| Runners-up | Connacht | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Matches played | 3 | ||
| Goals scored | 15 (5 per match) | ||
| Points scored | 83 (27.67 per match) | ||
| Top scorer(s) | Henry Shefflin (4-06) Eugene Cloonan (3-09) | ||
| |||
Leinster entered the championship as the defending champions.[2]
On 8 November 2003, Leinster won the Railway Cup after a 4–09 to 2–12 defeat of Connacht in the final at the Giulio Onesti Sports Complex in Rome.[3] It was their 23rd Railway Cup title overall and their second title in succession.
Leinster's Henry Shefflin (4-06) and Connacht's Eugene Cloonan (3-09) were the Railway Cup joint top scorers.
Results
editSemi-finals
| 18 October 2003 Semi-final | Munster | 1-16 - 1-20 | Connacht | Gaelic Grounds, Limerick |
| E Kelly 0-7, T Griffin 1-0, C Lynch 0-3, B O'Connor 0-2, S Brick 0-1, E Corcoran 0-1, C Gleeson 0-1, P Kelly 0-1. | Report | E Cloonan 1-6, M Kerins 0-5, K Borderick 0-4, A Kerins 0-2, T Óg Regan 0-1, K Burke 0-1, J Conroy 0-1. | Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath) |
| 19 October 2003 Semi-final | Ulster | 2-10 - 5-16 | Leinster | Casement Park, Belfast |
| B McFall 1-2, G Johnson 1-1, P Braniff 0-3, A Delargy 0-1, L Watson 0-1, C Herron 0-1, C McGuckian 0-1. | Report | H Shefflin 2-4, T Walsh 1-2, J Hoyne 1-1, R Jacob 1-1, B Carroll 0-3, R Hanniffy 0-2, C Keaney 0-1, J Young 0-1, D Hyland 0-1. | Referee: S Roche (Tipperary) |
Final
Top scorers
edit- Overall
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Shefflin | Leinster | 4-06 | 18 | 2 | 9.00 |
| Eugene Cloonan | Connacht | 3-09 | 18 | 2 | 9.00 | |
| 2 | John Hoyne | Leinster | 2-02 | 9 | 2 | 4.00 |
| 3 | Tommy Walsh | Leinster | 1-04 | 7 | 2 | 3.50 |
| Mark Kerins | Connacht | 0-07 | 7 | 2 | 3.50 | |
| Eoin Kelly | Munster | 0-07 | 7 | 1 | 7.00 |
- Single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Shefflin | Leinster | 2-04 | 10 | Ulster |
| 2 | Eugene Cloonan | Connacht | 2-03 | 9 | Munster |
| Eugene Cloonan | Connacht | 1-06 | 9 | Leinster | |
| 3 | Henry Shefflin | Leinster | 2-02 | 8 | Connacht |
| 4 | Eoin Kelly | Munster | 0-07 | 7 | Leinster |
| 5 | Tommy Walsh | Leinster | 1-02 | 5 | Ulster |
| Mark Kerins | Connacht | 0-05 | 5 | Munster |
Sources
edit- Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).
References
edit- ^ Neville, Conor (12 December 2016). "The fall and fall of the Railway Cup". ball.ie. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Eagle-eye Shefflin strikes gold for Leinster". Irish Independent. 4 November 2002. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "Leinster win Railway Cup in Rome". Irish Examiner. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2018.