Leinster MHC final: Galway 3-20 Kilkenny 3-19It smouldered for a while, but last night’s Leinster MHC final eventually defied the damp and cold to catch fire, culminating in a sensational Galway win over Kilkenny, their first provincial title at this grade since they made a successful debut in the championship three years ago.Round robin form suggested slight favouritism for Galway here but it was Kilkenny who looked like the class act for the first three quarters of the game.Joe Dowling was their leading scorer up front but there was real balance to their attack, while Jack Treacy swept up a world of ball as a deep-lying centre back and Matthew Corr was tireless at midfield.Dowling whipped in a goal after Mark Walsh blocked Ruairí Power’s initial effort to help the Cats to a 1-10 to 0-6 interval lead, but Galway got the dream start to their wind-assisted second half when Cillian Power scored from a similar rebound with his first touch at the other end.Anthony Poniard started to show his class with scores and the switch that put Gus Lohan to centre forward and moved Eoghan McClearn back to midfield looked like a masterstroke; or it did until Kilkenny hit 2-2 in three minutes, their goals coming from Power and Brion Walsh.Another score could well have seen them home, if it ever came. Instead Tadhg Mac Cártaigh and Poniard scored goals that raised the temperature in the crowd, culminating in a nerveless free from Coen to level the game in the third minute of added time.Without ever racking up too many scores, Galway owned the ball for both halves of extra-time and edged two up through a brace from Daithí Dillon before just about holding on in a tense finale.GALWAY: M Walsh; J Cahill, D Shaughnessy, E Whyte; C Lynskey, U Leen, C Donoghue; J Egan, G Lohan; E McClearn, T Mac Cártaigh (1-3), T McAdam; C Larkin, M Coen (0-11, 9f, 1 65), A Poniard (1-4).Subs: C Power (1-0) for Larkin (half-time), J McMahon for Lynskey (half-time), C O’Neill for Cahill (46), U O’Connor for Egan (48), D Dillon (0-2) for Whyte (55), Larkin for Mac Cártaigh (80+3).KILKENNY: E O’Gorman; M Meany, S Kavanagh, S Corcoran; P Grace, J Treacy, O Phelan; J Bolger (0-1), M Corr; J Kavanagh (0-1), C O’Neill Pembroke, J Dowling (1-10, 7f); B Walsh (1-4), L Corcoran, R Power (1-2).Subs: J Walsh (0-1) for Kavanagh (42), G McHugh for O’Neill Pembroke (55), D Lawlor for Grace (56), C Franks for Corr (60+2), A Holohan for S Corcoran (60+4), S Morrissey for L Corcoran (76), P Purcell for Meany (80).Referee: Matthew Farrell (Offaly).