2003 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship

2003 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
Dates	20 June – 12 October 2003
Teams	10
Sponsor	AIB
Champions	Patrickswell (18th title); Paul Carey (captain); Jim Fawl (manager)
Runners-up	Adare ; Mark Foley (captain); Pat Lavin (manager)
Relegated	Garryspillane
Tournament statistics
Matches played	22
Goals scored	61 (2.77 per match)
Points scored	522 (23.73 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Conor Fitzgerald (0–55)
← 2002 (Previous)	(Next) 2004 →

Last updated August 30, 2025

The 2003 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship was the 109th staging of the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Limerick County Board in 1887.^[1] The championship ran from 20 June to 12 October 2003.

The final was played on 12 October 2003 at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, between Patrickswell and Adare, in what was their fifth meeting in the final overall and a first final meeting in two years. Patrickswell won the match by 1–13 to 0–14 to claim their 18th championship title overall and a first title in three years.^[4]^[5] The win also allowed them to draw level with Ahane at the top of the all-time roll of honour.

Adare's Conor Fitzgerald was the championship's top scorer with 0–55.

Format change

16 teams took part in the 2002 Limerick SHC, however, a new format was introduced which resulted in the top eight teams being divided into two groups of four. After the group stage the top three teams in each group qualified for the quarter-finals. The bottom team in each group faced each other in a relegation playoff. The other eight teams played in the newly-created Limerick Senior B Hurling Championship. Those eight teams were also divided into two groups of four. After the group stage the top team in each group also qualified for the quarter-finals.^[6]

Group 1

Group 1 table

Quarter-finalists Relegation playoff

Team	Matches				Score			Pts
Team	Pld	W	D	L	For	Against	Diff
Adare	3	2	1	0	53	46	7	5
Croom	3	1	1	1	53	47	6	3
Doon	3	1	1	1	45	51	−6	3
Garryspillane	3	0	0	3	41	48	−7	0

Group 1 results

20 June 2003Round 1	Croom	2–11 – 1–11	Garryspillane	FitzGerald Park
	M Cregan 1–3, T Carmody 1–2, M O'Riordan 0–2, P Lawlor 0–2, J Quirke 0–1, P Cahill 0–1.		P Tobin 1–2, D Ryan 0–4, P Hyland 0–2, C Hickey 0–2, TJ Ryan 0–1.

20 June 2003Round 1	Doon	2–11 – 1–14	Adare	Bruff Grounds
	M McKenna 0–6, D Stapleton 1–0, J O'Brien 1–0, T Hayes 0–2, E Stapleton 0–2, P Tobin 0–1.		C Fitzgerald 0–7, B Foley 1–1, M Foley 0–2, A O'Rahilly 0–1, S Lavin 0–1, B Sexton 0–1.

6 July 2003Round 2	Doon	2–10 – 0–13	Garryspillane	Bruff Grounds
	M McKenna 2–7, Derek Ryan 0–1, T Hayes 0–1, D Anderson 0–1.		Donie Ryan 0–7, F Carroll 0–4, TJ Ryan 0–1, C Hickey 0–1.

27 July 2003Round 2	Adare	1–18 – 0–15	Croom	Bruff Grounds
	C Fitzgerald 0–9, B Foley 1–2, M Foley 0–2, D Sheehan 0–2, S Lavin 0–1, C Murphy 0–1, B Sexton 0–1.		J Barry 0–4, M Cregan 0–4, N O'Riordan 0–2, M Cahill 0–1, P Cahill 0–1, H Flavin 0–1, J Quirke 0–1, M O'Riordan 0–1.

9 August 2003Round 3	Croom	2–15 – 1–09	Doon	Bruff Grounds
	T Carmody 1–3, M Cahill 1–1, M Cregan 0–3, P Lawlor 0–3, S Lucey 0–2, H Flavin 0–2, N O'Riordan 0–1.		M McKenna 1–4, D Anderson 0–2, D Stapleton 0–2, T Hayes 0–1.

9 August 2003Round 3	Adare	1–12 – 0–14	Garryspillane	FitzGerald Park
	C Fitzgerald 0–7, M Foley 1–0, B Foley 0–2, D Sheehan 0–1, B Sexton 0–1, A O'Connell 0–1.		F Carroll 0–7, TJ Ryan 0–4, D Ryan 0–1, P Hyland 0–1, P Tobin 0–1.

Group 2

Group 2 table

Quarter-finalists Relegation playoff

Team	Matches				Score			Pts
Team	Pld	W	D	L	For	Against	Diff
Ahane	3	3	0	0	56	30	26	6
Patrickswell	3	1	1	1	47	39	8	3
Kilmallock	3	1	1	1	48	53	−5	3
Na Piarsaigh	3	0	0	3	32	61	−7	0

Group 2 results

22 June 2003Round 1	Na Piarsaigh	1–08 – 2–09	Ahane	Bruff Grounds
	K Bermingham 1–0, B Hartnett 0–3, E Moriarty 0–1, S O'Neill 0–1, D Hennessy 0–1, C Sherlock 0–1, R Hennessy 0–1.		J Moran 1–1, J Meskell 0–4, P Ryan 1–0, N Moran 0–2, S O'Connor 0–2.

22 June 2003Round 1	Kilmallock	1–12 – 1–12	Patrickswell	Bruff Grounds
	A O'Shaughnessy 1–6, S Burchill 0–2, M Houlihan 0–2, P Connery 0–1, B O'Sullivan 0–1.		B Foley 0–5, K Carey 1–1, P O'Grady 0–3, E Foley 0–1, B Geoghan 0–1, D O'Grady 0–1.

4 July 2003Round 2	Patrickswell	3–13 – 0–10	Na Piarsaigh	Mungret Grounds
	G Kirby 2–4, P O'Grady 0–5, K Carey 1–1, B Foley 0–1, D O'Grady 0–1, B Geoghegan 0–1.		B Hartnett 0–4, K Bermingham 0–3, D Hennessy 0–1, R Marsh 0–1, E Kelly 0–1.

20 July 2003Round 2	Ahane	5–12 – 1–06	Kilmallock	Fr Hayes Memorial Park
	P Ryan 2–1, J Meskell 1–4, S O'Connor 1–1, B Healy 1–1, A O'Doherty 0–2, N Moran 0–2.		A O'Shaughnessy 1–4, P Connery 0–1, M Houlihan 0–1.

10 August 2003Round 3	Kilmallock	4–12 – 1–08	Na Piarsaigh	Bruff Grounds
	A O'Shaughnessy 2–4, M Houlihan 0–5, P Connery 1–1, P Tobin 1–1, D O'Mahony 0–1.		C Sherlock 1–0, B Hartnett 0–2, D Breen 0–2, S O'Neill 0–2, D Hennessy 0–1, D Quigley 0–1.

10 August 2003Round 3	Ahane	2–08 – 0–10	Patrickswell	Bruff Grounds
	J Meskell 0–5, T Fitzgerald 1–1, B Healy 1–0, C Smith 0–1, David Laing 0–1.		P O'Grady 0–6, D O'Grady 0–2, A Carmody 0–1, G Kirby 0–1.

Relegation stage

Relegation final

24 August 2003Playoff	Garryspillane	1–14 – 3–11	Na Piarsaigh	FitzGerald Park
		Report

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals

31 August 2003Quarter-final	Patrickswell	2–16 – 3–13	Doon	Bruff Grounds
	P O'Grady 0–10, J McDermott 1–0, D O'Grady 1–0, G Kirby 0–2, K Carey 0–1, E Foley 0–1, E Carmody 0–1, B Geoghegan 0–1.		M McKenna 0–8, B Crowe 1–3, D Stapleton 1–1, P Coleman 1–0, M Fitzgerald 0–1.

31 August 2003Quarter-final	Kilmallock	1–10 – 0–12	Croom	Bruff Grounds
	A O'Shaughnessy 1–5, K Kennelly 0–2, M Houlihan 0–2, C O'Dwyer 0–1.		P Lawlor 0–3, J Barry 0–3, M Cahill 0–2, P Cahill 0–2, S Lucey 0–1, M O'Riordan 0–1.

7 September 2003Quarter-final	Adare	1–17 – 0–13	Murroe/Boher	Bruff Grounds
	C Fitzgerald 0–7, B Sexton 1–3, D Sheehan 0–3, M Foley 0–3, P Keane 0–1.		E O'Neill 0–3, P Tobin 0–3, P Laffan 0–3, J Butler 0–3, J Quaid 0–1.

7 September 2003Quarter-final	Ahane	2–17 – 1–05	Ballybrown	Bruff Grounds
	J Meskell 1–5, N Moran 0–7, S O'Connor 1–1, M Fitzgerald 0–2, A Smith 0–1, A O'Doherty 0–1.		A O'Connor 1–4, I Burke 0–1.

7 September 2003Quarter-final replay	Patrickswell	3–20 – 3–10	Doon	Bruff Grounds
	P O'Grady 1–7, A Carmody 0–4, K Carey 1–0, B Geoghegan 1–0, J McDermott 0–3, D O'Grady 0–2, G Kirby 0–2, P O'Reilly 0–1, E Foley 0–1.		M McKenna 1–5, T Hayes 1–0, J O'Brien 1–0, B Crowe 0–2, M Fitzgerald 0–1, P Coleman 0–1, D Stapleton 0–1.

Ballybrown and Murroe/Boher joined at this stage via the Limerick Senior B Hurling Championship.

Semi-finals

21 September 2003Semi-final	Patrickswell	2–08 – 0–11	Ahane	Gaelic Grounds
	D O'Grady 1–1, E Foley 1–1, P O'Grady 0–3, K Carey 0–1, P Carey 0–1, G Kirby 0–1.		J Meskell 0–4, N Moran 0–3, O Moran 0–1, M Fitzgerald 0–1, S O'Connor 0–1, J Moran 0–1.

21 September 2003Semi-final	Adare	0–13 – 2–07	Kilmallock	Gaelic Grounds
	C Fitzgerald 0–6, C Murphy 0–1, C Cribben 0–1, A O'Donnell 0–1, M Foley 0–1, B Foley 0–1, B Sexton 0–1, D Sheehan 0–1.		A O'Shaughnessy 1–2, P Tobin 1–0, M Houlihan 0–2, P Connery 0–1, M O'Riordan 0–1, D O'Mahony 0–1.

28 September 2003Semi-final replay	Adare	1–13 – 1–12	Kilmallock	Gaelic Grounds
	C Fitzgerald 0–9, D Sheehan 1–1, M Foley 0–1, C Murphy 0–1, B Sexton 0–1.		A O'Shaughnessy 1–6, M Houlihan 0–4, A Maguire 0–1, S Burchill 0–1.

Final

12 October 2003Final	Patrickswell	1–13 – 0–14	Adare	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	P O'Grady 0–6, J McDermott 1–0, G Kirby, Peter O'Reilly 0–2 each. B Geoghegan, D O'Grady, C Carey 0–1 each.		C Fitzgerald 0–10, S Lavin 0–2, C Murphy, B Heffernan 0–1 each.

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Conor Fitzgerald	Adare	0–55	55	7	7.85
2	Andrew O'Shaughnessy	Kilmallock	7–27	48	6	8.00
3	Paul O'Grady	Patrickswell	1–40	43	7	6.14
4	Mike McKenna	Doon	4–30	42	5	8.40
5	John Meskell	Ahane	2–22	28	5	5.60

References

↑ "Club titles – Limerick". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
↑ "Adare stage injury-time resurrection". Irish Independent. 14 October 2002. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
↑ "Limerick SHC final: Adare steal it as Ahane collapse in final minutes". Irish Examiner. 14 October 2002. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
↑ "Old guard command the 'Well". Irish Independent. 13 October 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
↑ "Well heroes topple Adare to hit historic high". Irish Examiner. 13 October 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
↑ "Hurling clubs await news of their impending fate in championship". Limerick Leader. 25 January 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

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[1] "Club titles – Limerick". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[2] "Adare stage injury-time resurrection". Irish Independent. 14 October 2002. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[3] "Limerick SHC final: Adare steal it as Ahane collapse in final minutes". Irish Examiner. 14 October 2002. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[4] "Old guard command the 'Well". Irish Independent. 13 October 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[5] "Well heroes topple Adare to hit historic high". Irish Examiner. 13 October 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[6] "Hurling clubs await news of their impending fate in championship". Limerick Leader. 25 January 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

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