2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
# 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness Hurling Championship) was the 117th since its establishment in 1887. The first matches of the season were played in May 2003, and the championship ended on 14 September 2003. Kilkenny went into the 2003 championship as defending champions, having won their twenty-seventh All-Ireland title the previous year.

The championship culminated with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by Kilkenny and Cork. It was their first meeting in the final since 1999. Kilkenny won the game by 1-14 to 1-11. It was their second All-Ireland title in succession.

## Team changes

### To Championship

Promoted from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship

* Kerry

### From Championship

Regraded to the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship

* None

## Teams

### General information

Twenty two counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: one team in the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, ten teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, six teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and five teams in the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.

| County | Last provincial title | Last championship title | Position in 2002 Championship | Current championship |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Antrim | 2002 | — | Quarter-finals | Ulster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Carlow | — | — | First round (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship) | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Clare | 1998 | 1997 | Runners-up | Munster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Cork | 2000 | 1999 | Round 2 | Munster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Derry | 2001 | — | Semi-finals (Ulster Senior Hurling Championship) | Ulster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Down | 1997 | — | Round 1 | Ulster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Dublin | 1961 | 1938 | Round 1 | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Galway | 1999 | 1988 | Quarter-finals | Connacht Senior Hurling Championship |
| Kerry | 1891 | 1891 | - | Munster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Kildare | — | — | First round (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship) | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Kilkenny | 2002 | 2002 | Champions | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Laois | 1949 | 1915 | Champions (All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship) | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Limerick | 1996 | 1973 | Round 1 | Munster Senior Hurling Championship |
| London | — | 1901 | Quarter-finals (Ulster Senior Hurling Championship) | Ulster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Meath | — | — | Round 1 | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| New York | — | — | Semi-finals (Ulster Senior Hurling Championship) | Ulster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Offaly | 1995 | 1998 | Round 2 | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Tipperary | 2001 | 2001 | Semi-finals | Munster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Waterford | 2002 | 1959 | Semi-finals | Munster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Westmeath | — | — | Second round (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship) | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Wexford | 1997 | 1996 | Round 2 | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Wicklow | — | — | Runners-up (All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship) | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |

## Summary

### Championships

| Level on Pyramid | Competition | Champions | Runners-Up |
| - | - | - | - |
| Tier 1 | All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | Kilkenny | Cork |
| Tier 1 | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | Kilkenny | Wexford |
| Tier 1 | Munster Senior Hurling Championship | Cork | Waterford |
| Tier 1 | Ulster Senior Hurling Championship | Antrim | Derry |
| Tier 2 | All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship | Wicklow | Roscommon |
| Tier 3 | All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship | Cork | Kilkenny |
| Tier 4 | All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship | Mayo | Donegal |

## Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

### Preliminary rounds

| Preliminary Quarter-finals | Preliminary Quarter-finals | Preliminary Quarter-finals | Preliminary Semi-finals | Preliminary Semi-finals | Preliminary Semi-finals | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Laois | Laois | 2-22 | | | | | | |
| Wicklow | Wicklow | 0-10 | Laois | Laois | 5-15 | | | |
| Meath | Meath | 2-10 | Carlow | Carlow | 1-10 | | | |
| Carlow | Carlow | 0-17 | | | | Laois | Laois | 2-15, 0-15 |
| | | | | | | Dublin | Dublin | 1-18, 3-11 |
| | | | Dublin | Dublin | 4-17 | | | |
| Kildare | Kildare | 0-07 | Westmeath | Westmeath | 0-13 | | | |
| Westmeath | Westmeath | 2-15 | | | | | | |

### Final Rounds

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Kilkenny | Kilkenny | 3-16 | | | |
| Dublin | Dublin | 0-10 | | | |
| Dublin | Dublin | 0-10 | Kilkenny | Kilkenny | 2-23 |
| | | | Wexford | Wexford | 2-12 |
| Wexford | Wexford | 0-16 | Wexford | Wexford | 2-12 |
| Offaly | Offaly | 1-12 | | | |

## Munster Senior Hurling Championship

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Waterford | Waterford | 2-26 | | | | | | |
| Kerry | Kerry | 1-12 | Waterford | Waterford | 4-13, 1-12 | | | |
| | | | Limerick | Limerick | 4-13, 0-13 | | | |
| | | | | | | Waterford | Waterford | 3-12 |
| | | | | | | Cork | Cork | 3-16 |
| | | | Cork | Cork | 1-18 | | | |
| Clare | Clare | 2-17 | Clare | Clare | 0-10 | | | |
| Tipperary | Tipperary | 0-14 | | | | | | |

## Ulster Senior Hurling Championship

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | | New York | New York | 1-10 | | | |
| | | | Derry | Derry | 0-15 | | | |
| | | | | | | Derry | Derry | 1-12 |
| | | | | | | Antrim | Antrim | 3-21 |
| | | | Antrim | Antrim | 0-21 | | | |
| Antrim | Antrim | 8-27 | Down | Down | 2-12 | | | |
| London | London | 1-05 | | | | | | |

## All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tipperary | Tipperary | 2-16 | | | | | | |
| Offaly | Offaly | 2-11 | Kilkenny | Kilkenny | 3-18 | | | |
| | | | Tipperary | Tipperary | 0-15 | | | |
| | | | | | | Kilkenny | Kilkenny | 1-14 |
| | | | | | | Cork | Cork | 1-11 |
| | | | Wexford | Wexford | 3-17, 2-07 | | | |
| Wexford | Wexford | 2-15 | Cork | Cork | 2-20, 3-17 | | | |
| Antrim | Antrim | 2-12 | | | | | | |

## Championship statistics

### Top scorers

**Overall**

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Joe Deane | Cork | 4-29 | 41 | 5 | 8.2 |
| 2 | Brian McFall | Antrim | 5-25 | 40 | 4 | 10.0 |
| 2 | Paul Codd | Wexford | 2-34 | 40 | 6 | 6.67 |
| 4 | Paul Flynn | Waterford | 6-19 | 37 | 5 | 7.4 |
| 5 | Tomás McGrane | Dublin | 2-30 | 36 | 5 | 7.2 |
| 5 | Eoin Kelly | Tipperary | 2-30 | 36 | 5 | 7.2 |
| 7 | James Young | Laois | 0-35 | 35 | 5 | 7.0 |
| 8 | Henry Shefflin | Kilkenny | 3-25 | 34 | 4 | 8.5 |
| 9 | Mike Slattery | Kerry | 3-23 | 32 | 5 | 6.4 |
| 10 | Ollie Collins | Derry | 0-28 | 28 | 3 | 9.33 |

### Scoring events

* Last goal of the championship: Martin Comerford for Kilkenny against Cork (All-Ireland final)
* First hat-trick of the championship: John Mullane for Waterford against Cork (Munster final)
* Widest winning margin: 43 points
   * Antrim 8-27 - 1-05 London (Ulster preliminary round)
* Most goals in a match: 9
   * Antrim 8-27 - 1-05 London (Ulster preliminary round)
* Most points in a match: 41
   * Tipperary 3-28 - 0-13 Laois (All-Ireland qualifiers)
* Most goals by one team in a match: 8
   * Antrim 8-27 - 1-05 London (Ulster preliminary round)
* Most goals scored by a losing team: 3
   * Waterford 3-12 - 3-16 Cork (Munster final)
   * Carlow 3-07 - 3-15 Waterford (Munster final)
* Most points scored by a losing team: 17
   * Galway 1-17 - 1-18 Tipperary (All-Ireland qualifiers)

### Team statistics

* Most goals scored - Antrim (13)
* Most points scored - Tipperary (91)
* Most goals conceded - Carlow and Wexford (10)
* Most points conceded - Wexford (102)
* Fewest goals scored - Kildare and Wicklow (0)
* Fewest points scored - Kildare (7)
* Fewest points conceded - Kildare (15)
* Fewest goals conceded - Wicklow (0)

## Miscellaneous

* First-time championship meetings:
   * Kerry v Westmeath (Qualifiers preliminary round)
   * Kerry v Carlow (Qualifiers preliminary round)
   * Kerry v Derry (Qualifiers preliminary round)
   * Wexford v Waterford (Qualifiers round 2)
* Kerry return to the Munster Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 2000.
* Kerry's wins over Westmeath, Carlow and Derry were the first time they won three All-Ireland Senior Hulring Championship matches in a row.
