2003 Railway Cup Hurling Championship

2003 Railway Cup
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)
← 2002 (Previous)	(Next) 2004 →

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.

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

Semi-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

8 November 2003 Final	Leinster	4-09 - 2-12	Connacht	Giulio Onesti Sports Complex, Rome
	H Shefflin (2-2), J Hoyne (1-1), R Hanniffy (1-1); T Walsh (0-2), C Keaney (0-1), D Lyng (0-1), G Hanniffy (0-1).		E Cloonan (2-3), R Gantley (0-2), A Kerins (0-2), M Kerins (0-2), D Forde (0-2), T Óg Regan (0-1).

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Henry Shefflin	Leinster	4-06	18	2	9.00
1	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
2	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
5	Mark Kerins	Connacht	0-05	5	Munster

Sources

Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).

References

^ 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.

[1] Neville, Conor (12 December 2016). "The fall and fall of the Railway Cup". ball.ie. Retrieved 27 December 2018.

[2] "Eagle-eye Shefflin strikes gold for Leinster". Irish Independent. 4 November 2002. Retrieved 31 December 2018.

[3] "Leinster win Railway Cup in Rome". Irish Examiner. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2018.

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