# 2007–08 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship

The 2007–08 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship was the 38th club hurling competition since its establishment in 1970–71. The first matches of the season were played on 14 October 2007 and the championship ended on 17 March 2008. Ballyhale Shamrocks went into the 2007–08 championship as defending champions, having won their fourth All-Ireland title the previous year.
The championship culminated with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by Birr and Portumna. It was their first meeting in the final. Portumna won the game by 3–19 to 3–9. It was their second All-Ireland title in three years.

## Format

The 2007–08 club championship was played on a straight knock-out basis. Each of the eighteen participating counties entered their respective club champions. The format of the competition was as follows:
A total of 18 county club champions participated in the 2008–09 championship:
* Leinster: Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford.
* Munster: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford.
* Connacht: Galway, Mayo, Roscommon
* Ulster: Antrim, Derry, Down.

### Provincial championships

The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster championships were played as usual on a straight knock-out basis. The four respective champions from these provinces advanced directly to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

### All-Ireland Series

In the two semi-final matches, the Munster champions played the Connacht champions while the Leinster champions played the Ulster champions. The two winners contested the All-Ireland final.

## Participating clubs

| Team | County | Most recent success | Most recent success | Most recent success |
| Team | County | All-Ireland | Provincial | County |
| Adare | Limerick | | | 2002 |
| Athleague | Roscommon | | | 2006 |
| Ballycran | Down | | 1993 | 1995 |
| Ballygunner | Waterford | | 2001 | 2005 |
| Ballyhale Shamrocks | Kilkenny | 2007 | 2006 | 2006 |
| Ballyboden St. Enda's | Dublin | | | |
| Bir | Offaly | 2003 | 2002 | 2006 |
| Camross | Laois | | 1996 | 1996 |
| Dunloy | Antrim | | 2003 | 2003 |
| Erin's Own | Cork | | | 2006 |
| Kevin Lynch's | Derry | | | 2006 |
| James Stephens | Mayo | | | |
| Lixnaw | Kerry | | | 2005 |
| Loughmore-Castleiney | Tipperary | | | 1988 |
| Mount Leinster Rangers | Carlow | | | 2006 |
| Oulart the Ballagh | Wexford | | | 2005 |
| Portumna | Galway | 2006 | 2005 | 2005 |
| Tulla | Clare | | | 1933 |

## Fixtures
### Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship

Quarter-finals
Semi-final
Final

### All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship

PORTUMNA: :
| GK | 1 | Ivan Canning |
| RCB | 2 | Michael Gill |
| FB | 3 | Eugene McEntee |
| LCB | 4 | Ollie Canning |
| RWB | 5 | Gareth Heagney |
| CB | 6 | Míchéal Ryan |
| LWB | 7 | Peter Smyth 57' |
| M | 8 | Leo Smith |
| M | 9 | Eoin Lynch |
| RWF | 10 | Niall Hayes |
| CF | 11 | Kevin Hayes |
| LWF | 12 | Andrew Smith |
| RCF | 13 | Damien Hayes |
| FF | 14 | Joe Canning |
| LCF | 15 | Davy Canning 59' |
| Substitutes: ||||
| LWB | | Aidan O'Donnell 57' |
| LCF | | Ciarán Ryan 59' |
BIRR: :
| GK | 1 | Brian Mullins |
| RCB | 2 | John Paul O'Meara 38' |
| FB | 3 | Niall Claffey |
| LCB | 4 | Michael Verney |
| RWB | 5 | Brian Watkins |
| CB | 6 | Paul Cleary |
| LWB | 7 | Dylan Hayden 52' |
| M | 8 | Barry Whelahan |
| M | 9 | Rory Hanniffy |
| RWF | 10 | Gary Hanniffy |
| CF | 11 | Brian Whelahan (c) |
| LWF | 12 | Seán Ryan 30' |
| RCF | 13 | Paul O'Meara |
| FF | 14 | Simon Whelahan |
| LCF | 15 | Stephen Browne |
| Substitutes: ||||
| LWF | | Michael Dwane 30' |
| RCB | | Paul Molloy 38' |
| LWB | | Barry Harding 52' |
MATCH RULES
* 60 minutes
* Replay if scores level

## Championship statistics
### Scoring

* Widest winning margin: 34 points
** Portumna 6–23 : 0–7 James Stephens (Connacht final)
* Most goals in a match: 6
** Portumna 6–23 : 0–7 James Stephens (Connacht final)
** Tulla 4–16 : 2–6 Lixnaw (Munster quarter-final)
** Portumna 3–19 : 3–9 Birr (Connacht final)
* Most points in a match: 40
** De La Salle 1–21 : 1–19 Ruairí Óg, Cushendall (All-Ireland semi-final)
* Most points in a match: 32
** Ballyboden St. Enda's 1–17 : 0–15 Oulart the Ballagh (Leinster quarter-final)
* Most goals by one team in a match: 6
** Portumna 6–23 : 0–7 James Stephens (Connacht final)
* Most points by one team in a match: 23
** Portumna 6–23 : 0–7 James Stephens (Connacht final)

## Top scorers
### Season

| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| 1 | Joe Canning | Portumna | 1–24 | 27 | 3 | 9.0 |
| 2 | Gregory O'Kane | Dunloy | 0-26 | 26 | 4 | 6.50 |
| 3 | Damien Hayes | Portumna | 5–5 | 20 | 3 | 6.67 |
| 4 | Noel McGrath | Loughmore-Castleiney | 1–15 | 18 | 4 | 4.50 |
| 4 | Simon Whelahan | Birr | 1–15 | 18 | 4 | 4.50 |
| 5 | Aidan Lynch | Tulla | 1–14 | 17 | 3 | 5.67 |
| 6 | Evan Sweeney | Loughmore-Castleiney | 1–13 | 16 | 4 | 4.00 |
| 7 | Andrew Smith | Portumna | 2-8 | 14 | 3 | 3.66 |
| 8 | David Curtin | Ballyboden St. Enda's | 0-13 | 13 | 3 | 4.33 |
| 9 | Liam Richmond | Dunloy | 1-09 | 12 | 4 | 3.00 |
| 9 | Niall Hayes | Portumna | 2-6 | 12 | 3 | 4.00 |
| 9 | T. J. Reid | Ballyhale Shamrocks | 0-12 | 12 | 2 | 6.00 |

### Single game

| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| 1 | Damien Hayes | Portumna | 4–1 | 13 | James Stephens |
| 2 | Joe Canning | Portumna | 1–9 | 12 | Loughmore-Castleiney |
| 3 | Aidan Lynch | Tulla | 1–8 | 11 | Lixnaw |
| 4 | Joe Canning | Portumna | 0–10 | 10 | Birr |
| 4 | Simon Whelahan | Birr | 1–7 | 10 | Portumna |
| 5 | Niall Hayes | Portumna | 1–6 | 9 | James Stephens |
| 6 | Andrew Smith | Portumna | 2–2 | 8 | Birr |
| 6 | Gregory O'Kane | Dunloy | 0-8 | 8 | Ballycran |
| 7 | T. J. Reid | Ballyhale Shamrocks | 0–7 | 7 | Mount Leinster Rangers |
| 7 | Zane Keenan | Camross | 0–7 | 7 | Ballyboden St. Enda's |
| 7 | Gregory O'Kane | Dunloy | 0–7 | 7 | Kevin Lynch's |
| 7 | Evan Sweeney | Loughmore-Castleiney | 0–7 | 7 | Adare |
| 7 | Paul O'Meara | Birr | 1–4 | 7 | Ballyboden St. Enda's |
| 7 | James Flaherty | Lixnaw | 1–4 | 7 | Tulla |
| 7 | Noel McGrath | Loughmore-Castleiney | 1–4 | 7 | Portumna |

## Referees

The following referees were used during the championship:
| Name | County | Games |
| James McGrath | Westmeath | 2 |
| Anthony Stapleton | Laois | 3 |
| J. Kelly | Wexford | 1 |
| James Owens | Wexford | 1 |
| Declan Magee | Down | 1 |
| John Sexton | Limerick | 1 |
| Seán McMahon | Clare | 1 |
| Anthony Heagney | Clare | 1 |
| Cathal McAllister | Cork | 2 |
| John Sexton | Cork | 1 |
| Michael Haverty | Galway | 1 |
| Preceded byChampionship 2006–07 | All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship 2007–08 | Succeeded byChampionship 2008–09 |