The 2018 Walsh Cup was an inter-county hurling competition based mainly in the Irish province of Leinster. It took place between December 2017 and January 2018.^[1][2]

For the first time, no third-level college teams took part. 10 Leinster counties, plus Antrim, competed.^[3][4] Longford and Louth entered the second-ranked Kehoe Cup.

Wexford were the 2018 champions, beating Kilkenny 3–2 in a free-taking competition after the final ended level on 1-24 each after extra time.^[5] This was the first inter-county hurling game to be decided by the taking of frees.^[6]

Format

There are 11 teams, in three groups of 3 teams and one group of 2 teams. In the three-team groups, each team plays the other teams once. In the two-team group, the teams play each other twice. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.

The four group winners advance to the semi-finals.

Group stage

Group 1

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Diff
Wexford	2	2	0	0	4	+44
Carlow	2	1	0	1	2	+9
Wicklow	2	0	0	2	0	–53

Group 2

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Diff
Kilkenny	2	2	0	0	4	+47
Laois	2	1	0	1	2	–18
Kildare	2	0	0	2	0	–29

Group 3

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Diff
Dublin	2	2	0	0	4	+27
Meath	2	1	0	1	2	-15
Antrim	2	0	0	2	0	–12

Group 4

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Diff
Offaly	2	2	0	0	4	+5
Westmeath	2	0	0	2	0	–5

Knock-out stage

Final

Kilkenny v Wexford

20 January 2018 2 p.m. GMT Final

Report

Kilkenny	1-24 (27) – (27) 1-24 (a.e.t.) (2–3 fk)	Wexford
Gls: Alan Murphy 1pen Pts: Alan Murphy 13 (6fs, 1 '65'), Ollie Walsh 2, Walter Walsh 2, Martin Keoghan 2, Eoin Murphy 2fs, Conor Fogarty 1, Richie Reid 1, Conor Martin 1		Gls: Kevin Foley 1 Pts: Paul Morris 9 (7fs), Jack Guiney 5 (3fs), Harry Kehoe 3, Mark Fanning 1f, Eoin Moore 1, Cathal Dunbar 1, David Dunne 1, Jack O'Connor 1, Lee Chin 1, Conor McDonald 1
Free-taking competition
Eoin Murphy Conor Martin Lester Ryan Alan Murphy John Walsh		Paul Morris Lee Chin Conor McDonald Jack Guiney Mark Fanning

Nowlan Park, Kilkenny Referee: John O'Brien (Laois) Attendance: 3,554

References