Contrasting fortunes for these counties a week after the senior and minor finals of a week ago as Kilkenny won their first All-Ireland title at under21 level - or indeed at any grade - in five years. After a disappointing afternoon's play on a swampy pitch in Tullamore yesterday, the Leinster champions emerged with two points to spare over Galway.

It was Galway's third successive defeat in an All-Ireland final at this grade. The setback was all the more galling in that they had definite opportunities to win the match and had full forward and free-taker Eugene Cloonan not suffered a hand injury in the second half, they might have edged out Kilkenny in the end.

Free-taking was the governing art in this final, with Cloonan and his Kilkenny counterpart Henry Shefflin slugging it out all afternoon - they provided 16 of the match's 28 scores from placed balls. For Shefflin and corner back Michael Kavanagh, the result must have come as a great relief after the terrible disappointment of last week's defeat in the senior final. Shefflin scored eight points off frees, tying him with Cloonan for the scoring honours, and even if his couple of efforts from play drifted wide he was a constant concern to Galway's defence both at full forward and later on the left wing, where he played for most of the match.

He opened the scoring with a free in the third minute after a crude lunge by Galway's full back Diarmuid Cloonan had upended Edward Brennan, but as the match settled into its rhythm it was the Connacht champions who took over and by the end of the first quarter they had moved into a four-point lead, 0-5 to 0-1.

Eugene Cloonan did most of the damage on the scoreboard although David Donoghue chipped in one from play. Galway were doing well at midfield, and wing forward David Tierney's runs at the Kilkenny defence were threatening.

Their half backs were also in control, with Rory Gantley featuring at centre back and Enda Linnane, son of Sylvie, playing particularly well on both his man and the breaks. Behind them things weren't quite as reassuring, with Kilkenny's Brennan showing great menace in the corner. In the 13th minute he crashed a rebound just wide after he had been tackled on the way through. His time would come before the end of the half.

Galway kept their opponents at arm's length, despite a couple of frees from Shefflin, and in the 26th minute Cloonan appeared to go for goal from a close-in free. He never got hold of the ball properly and Kilkenny goalkeeper Jamie Power blocked on the line.

The critical score came with halftime in prospect. Its genesis was a solo-run through the defence by midfielder John O'Neill - although Galway evidently felt that the Kilkennyman had fouled the ball en route. His shot was saved by Nigel Murray and Brennan was quickest to the rebound and cracked home the goal which brought the teams level.

From then on, the match was evenly contested. Before the interval Kilkenny took the lead but were overtaken to trail by a point, 1-5 to 0-9, at the break.

Kilkenny went in front again five minutes after the restart when Shefflin pointed from a free, but the price could have been heavier for Galway as the award was for a trip on Michael Gordon by Diarmuid Cloonan, who was booked but not sent off.

Gordon went on to play an influential role and exploited his pace after the move to the inside line and clearly troubled Galway on his travels.

Galway made changes to try to pep up their attack which had gone quiet since the restart. Darren O'Shaughnessy was moved up to his club position in the forwards from wing back and senior full forward Mark Kerins moved around from centre forward to try to restore the attacking threat.

Eugene Cloonan gave Galway the lead for the last time in the 48th minute after battling midfielder Enda Tannian and O'Shaughnessy, from a free, had drawn them level. Gordon scored a fine point to equalise and Shefflin pointed a free to restore Kilkenny's advantage.

By this stage Cloonan's injury was necessitating the sharing of the frees with O'Shaughnessy and this came against Galway with two minutes left when Cloonan was unable to convert a free and O'Shaughnessy hit the resultant break wide.

JP Corcoran ended the match on an appropriately upbeat note for the winners by cutting a lineball over the bar.