All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1955

Infobox Hurling All-Ireland
year=1955


team=Wexford
titles=2nd
captain=Nick O'Donnell
manager=
munster=Limerick
leinster=Wexford
ulster=
connacht=
poty=
matches=
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1955 was the 69th edition of Ireland’s premier hurling knockout competition. The championship ran from May to September of that year, culminating with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin on 4 September. The match was contested by Wexford and Galway, with Wexford taking the title by 3-13 to 2-8. It was Wexford’s second All-Ireland title ever and their first since 1910.

Format

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was run on a provincial basis as usual. All games were played on a knockout basis whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship. The format for the All-Ireland series of games ran as follows:
* The winners of the Munster Championship advanced directly to a lone All-Ireland semi-final.
* The winners of the Leinster Championship advanced directly to a lone All-Ireland semi-final.
* Galway, a team who faced no competition in the Connacht Championship, received a bye into the All-Ireland final without playing a single game.
* There were no representatives from the Ulster Championship in the All-Ireland series.

All-Ireland final

Overview

Sunday 4 September was the date of the 1955 All-Ireland senior hurling final between Wexford and Galway. It was their first meeting in the championship since the 1951 All-Ireland semi-final when Wexford were the winners. It was an historic occasion as both sides were looking for a championship title after prolonged absences. Wexford last won the All-Ireland in 1910 while Galway’s last triumph came in 1923. Both sides were looking for a second championship title.

Match report

After the pre-match parade and the national anthem the sliothar was thrown in at 3:15pm by match referee and former Tipperary hurler Bob Stakelum. The initial exchanges were intense and the players were just about settling down when Séamus Hearne hurled the sliothar in from midfield to Padge Kehoe. Kehoe kept the sliothar moving in as far as Nicky Rackard who hit it first time. The sliothar ended up in the Galway net and Wexford were on their way after just two minutes of play. Galway made some changes with veteran full-back Bernard Power being replaced by Billy O'Neill who had the unenviable task of marking Rackard. Galway were undaunted by the early goal and went on the attack themselves. Joe Young swept the sliothar across the Wexford goal and 18-year-old schoolboy Paddy Egan got the better of the defence and crashed the sliothar into the net. The momentum was now with Galway. Minutes later a Joe Salmon clearance reached Egan again and he made no mistake in rounding Mick Hanlon for his second goal of the day to put Galway into the lead. The Wexford defence tightened up after that score while Ned Wheeler responded with a second goal for his team. Just on the stroke of half-time the normally dependable Nicky Rackard sent a 21-yard free wide. At half-time Galway led by 2-5 to 2-3.

Wexford opened the second half with their backs to the sun and a light breeze in their favour. Both sides went ten minutes without a score before Séamus Hearne got Wexford’s first score of the half. Seconds after the puck-out Padge Kehoe equalized for Wexford and the game entered the melting pot. Star player Nicky Rackard put his side one point ahead as Wexford began to stamp their authority on the game. Tom Ryan was the next Wexford player to get his name on the scoring sheet with another point before Rackard pointed from a free. Wexford were three points to the good when Galway clawed one back courtesy of a Jimmy Duggan point. Wexford rallied through an expertly worked goal by Tim Flood after a series of passes through Nicky Rackard, Paddy Kehoe and Tom Ryan. From then until the full-time whistle Wexford had complete command of the game. Ned Wheeler lashed over two points; Padge Kehoe landed another beautiful score before Tim Flood pointed again. Jim Morrissey subsequently captured the score of the day when he scored a point from a huge distance out. On the call of time Joe Salmon scored Galway's only point from play in the second-half, however, it was too little too late. Wexford ended their 45-year wait and were the champions on a score line of 3-13 to 2-8.

tatistics

footballbox
date=1956-09-04
15:15 BST
team1=Wexford
score=3-12 – 2-8
team2=Galway
report=
goals1=
goals2=
stadium=Croke Park, Dublin
attendance=72,854
referee= Bob Stakelum (Tipperary)

{| width=100% style="font-size: 90%"MATCH RULES
*60 minutes.
*Replay if scores level.
*Three named substitutes

References

* Corry, Eoghan, "The GAA Book of Lists" (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
* Donegan, Des, "The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games" (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).

ee also