Young Irelands ... 3-14 Dunnamaggin ... 1-15: DJ Carey turned on the style as Young Irelands (Gowran) won their second Kilkenny senior hurling championship title by beating Dunnamaggin in the final at Nowlan Park yesterday.

Carey scored 2-7 and also made the third goal for Dick Carroll as Irelands added to their lone success of 1996. Victory earned them a Leinster club championship clash against Kilmessan of Meath.

On a day when a biting wind blew right down the field it was Carey who took full advantage of it from the start. He had county colleague Noel Hickey in trouble from the start, and by the 15-minute mark he had already bagged two goals.

Those scores helped the winners into an interval lead of 2-5 to 0-7.

Dunnamaggin were far from out of it, but their attack was struggling as five opening-half points from midfielder Colin Herity would suggest.

The losers opened the second half smartly, and they were making serious progress until Carey engineered a goal for Carroll in the 45th minute.

Almost immediately Carey converted a free from 100 yards, into the teeth of the wind to stretch the difference to 3-10 to 0-12.

Dunnamaggin were chasing respectability all the way home after that. With time almost up Sean Ryan got a goal, but it was nothing more than a consolation score for Dunnamaggin, who were also chasing their second title.

YOUNG IRELANDS: M Carey; C Carroll, E Farrell, C Fitzgerald; S Byrne, T Drennan, C Phelan; O Carter, J McDermott (0-1); J Fitzgerald (0-1), J Carey (0-1), DJ Carey (2-7); D Carroll (1-0), C Carter (0-2), D Carter (0-2). Subs: M Carter for Phelan, P Farrell for Byrne, P O'Neill for McDermott.

DUNNAMAGGIN: D Herity; T Hickey, N Hickey, B Mackey; C Hickey, E Kennedy (0-1), N Lahart (0-1); C Herity (0-7), D Lahart; R Cahill (0-2), P Cahill (0-1), K Moore (0-1); B O'Shea, K O'Shea (0-1), S Ryan (1-0). Subs: S O'Neill (0-1) for D Lahart, J Hickey for B Mackey.

Referee: P Dunphy (Carrigeen).