2012 National Hurling League

National Hurling League 2012

League details
Dates	25 February – 6 May 2012
Teams	34
League champions
Winners	Kilkenny (15th win)
Captain	Eoin Larkin
Manager	Brian Cody
League runners-up
Runners-up	Cork
Captain	Patrick Horgan
Manager	Jimmy Barry-Murphy
Other division winners
Division 1B	Clare
Division 2A	Carlow
Division 2B	Kildare
Division 3A	Fingal
Division 3B	Fermanagh
← 2011 2013 →

The 2012 National Hurling League commenced in February 2012. 34 GAA county hurling teams: 32 from Ireland (including Fingal but not Cavan), London and Warwickshire, contested it.

On 6 May Kilkenny defeated Cork in the final to win their 15th NHL title, moving them to second place in the all-time roll of honour, behind Tipperary who have won 19 Leagues.^[1][2][3]

Format

The 2012 format was originally to consist of five divisions: Divisions 1 and 2 having eight teams in each, Division 3A six, Division 3B seven, and six teams in Division 4.

However, this was controversially altered to a system of six divisions, with six teams in divisions 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 3A, and four in division 3B.^[4] This meant that many counties were effectively relegated to a lower division.^[5][6] It was agreed in October 2011 that here will no longer be an eight team Division 1, with the top division hurling counties giving their approval to the new system.^[7] The league settings are as follows:

• Division 1A: Top three teams qualify for NHL semi-finals. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
• Division 1B: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted and qualifying for NHL semi-final. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
• Division 2A: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
• Division 2B: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted. No relegation.
• Division 3A: Top two teams play division final, but the winner is not promoted. Bottom two teams play a relegation playoff, with the losing team relegated.
• Division 3B: Top two teams play division final, with the winner being promoted.

Fixtures and results

Division 1A

      NHL finalists       Relegated team

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Kilkenny	5	4	0	1	13-95	8-69	41	8
Cork	5	3	1	1	9-88	6-90	7	7
Tipperary	5	2	2	1	2-87	8-65	4	6
Waterford	5	2	0	3	4-79	5-98	-22	4
Galway	5	2	0	3	4-81	8-86	-17	4
Dublin	5	0	1	4	10-70	7-92	-13	1

• Waterford are placed ahead of Galway as they won the head-to-head match between the teams.

Fixtures and results

Cork v Waterford

25 February 2012 Round 1	Cork	3-17 - 0-18	Waterford	Páirc Uí Rinn, Cork
19:00	C Lehane 0-07, P O'Sullivan 2-01, P Horgan 0-04, C Naughton 1-01, B O'Connor, D Sweetnam, P Cronin, S Og O hAilpin 0-01 each.	Report	M O'Neill 0-05, P Mahony 0-04, G O'Brien 0-02, P O'Brien, K Moran, J Nagle, K Casey, S Prendergast, E McGrath, T Ryan 0-01 each.	Attendance: 7,356 Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)

Kilkenny v Tipperary

26 February 2012 Round 1	Kilkenny	2-17 - 0-15	Tipperary	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
14:30	R Power 1-11 (1-00 pen, 0-10f, 0-01 '65'), E Larkin 1-02, M Rice 0-02, M Ruth, TJ Reid 0-01 each.	Report	P Bourke 0-06 (0-05f, 0-01 '65'), N McGrath, S Bourke 0-03 each, C O'Mahony (0-01f), B Maher, E Kelly 0-01 each	Attendance: 10,664 Referee: M Wadding (Waterford)

Galway v Dublin

26 February 2012 Round 1	Galway	0-20 - 0-13	Dublin	Pearse Stadium, Galway
14:30	N Burke (0-10, 3fs, 2'65); C Cooney (0-04); J Regan (0-03); C Donnellan (0-01); I Tannian (0-01); D Hayes (0-01).	Report	P Ryan (0-06, 5fs, 1'65); C McCormack (0-02); R O'Dwyer (0-02fs); S Durkin (0-01); D Sutcliffe (0-01); L Rushe (0-01).	Attendance: 3,241 Referee: D Kirwan (Cork)

Dublin v Cork

11 March 2012 Round 2	Dublin	2-17 - 2-18	Cork	Croke Park, Dublin
14:00	P Ryan 0-8 (2 ’65, 2f), S Lambert 1-2, D Sutcliffe 0-4, R O’Dwyer 1-0, J Boland 0-2, L Rushe 0-1.	Report	P Horgan 0-7 (5f), P Cronin 1-3, C Naughton 1-1, C Lehane 0-3, P O’Sullivan 0-2, B O’Connor 0-1, W Egan 0-1.	Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath)

Waterford v Kilkenny

11 March 2012 Round 2	Waterford	1-15 - 2-21	Kilkenny	Walsh Park, Waterford
14:30	M Shanahan 1-3, M O’Neill 0-6 (4fs), G O’Brien, T Browne (1f) 0-2 each; S Prendergast, Paudie Mahony (f) 0-1 each.	Report	R Power 0-10 (8fs), M Ruth 2-1, E Larkin 0-3, R Hogan, C Fennelly, TJ Reid (1 s/l) 0-2 each, M Fennelly 0-1.	Referee: J Sexton (Cork)

Tipperary v Galway

11 March 2012 Round 2	Tipperary	2-20 - 2-18	Galway	Semple Stadium, Thurles
14:30	P Bourke 1-6 (0-5f), N McGrath 1-3 (0-1f), J Woodlock, B Maher, J O’Neill & S Bourke 0-2 each, C O’Mahony (65), B O’Meara, J Ryan 0-1 each.	Report	N Burke 0-7f, D Hayes 1-3, J Regan 1-2, C Cooney 0-3 (1f), B Burke 0-2, B Daly 0-1.	Referee: C McAllister (Cork)

Cork v Galway

18 March 2012 Round 3	Cork	2-13 - 2-17	Galway	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
12:45	P Horgan 0-6 (0-6f), C Lehane 0-5, C Naughton, L McLoughlin 1-0 each, P O’Sullivan, J Coughlan 0-1 each.	Report	N Burke 1-10 (0-7f), D Hayes 1-1, A Smith, D Burke 0-2 each, D Glennon 0-1.	Attendance: 12,821 Referee: J Owens (Wexford)

Kilkenny v Dublin

18 March 2012 Round 3	Kilkenny	5-16 - 6-12	Dublin	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
14:30	R. Power 1-8 (5fs, 1 65), R Hogan 1-3, A Fogarty 1-1, M Ruth, C Fennelly 1-0 each, E Larkin 0-3, TJ Reid 0-1.	Report	D Sutcliffe 2-3, P Ryan 1-3 (2fs), A McCrabbe 0-4 (3fs), C McCormack, E Dillon, D O’Callaghan 1-0 each, L Rushe, M O’Brien 0-1 each.	Attendance: 5,571 Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)

Tipperary v Waterford

18 March 2012 Round 3	Tipperary	0-31 - 2-15	Waterford	Semple Stadium, Thurles
14:30	N McGrath 0-7 (0-1f); P Bourke 0-7 (0-4f); B O’Meara 0-3; P Maher 0-2; B Maher 0-2; J Woodlock 0-2; J O’Neill 0-2; S Bourke 0-2; S McGrath 0-2; J Ryan, T Stapleton, 0-1 each.	Report	M Shanahan 1-4 (1-0p, 0-1f); M O’Neill 0-4 (4f); S Molumphy 1-0; S O’Sullivan 0-2; G O’Brien, S Walsh, J Nagle, K Moran, E McGrath, 0-1 each.	Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath)

Dublin v Tipperary

24 March 2012 Round 4	Dublin	2-15 - 0-21	Tipperary	Croke Park, Dublin
	D Treacy, L Rushe both 1-2, A McCrabbe 0-3 (2f), R Dwyer, D Sutcliffe, N McMorrow all 0-2, J McCaffrey, D O’Callaghan both 0-1	Report	P Bourke 0-6 (5f), B O’Meara 0-5, N McGrath 0-4 (2f), J O’Brien 0-2, S Bourke, J Ryan, S McGrath, B Maher all 0-1	Referee: B Gavin (Offaly)

Galway v Waterford

25 March 2012 Round 4	Galway	0-16 - 1-14	Waterford	Pearse Stadium, Galway
	N Burke 0-5 (0-3f), D Burke 0-3, A Smith, B Daly 0-2 each, C Cooney, N Donoghue, B Flaherty 0-1 each.	Report	P Mahony 0-9 (0-9f), S Walsh 1-2, J Mullane 0-2, M Shanahan 0-1.	Referee: A Stapleton (Laois)

Cork v Kilkenny

25 March 2012 Round 4	Cork	1-17 - 1-15	Kilkenny	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	P Horgan (0-8, 0-7f), P O’Sullivan (1-1), C Naughton (0-2), W Egan (0-2, 0-1 65, 0-1f), D Sweetnam (0-1); C Lehane (0-1), P Cronin (0-1), J Coughlan (0-1).	Report	R Power (1-11, 0-9f), R Hogan (0-2), M Rice (0-1); TJ Reid (0-1).	Referee: M Wadding

Waterford v Dublin

1 April 2012 Round 5	Waterford	0-17 - 0-13	Dublin	Fraher Field, Dungarvan
14:30	M Shanahan (0-4,0-2f), G O'Brien (0-4), P Mahony (0-3f);, J Mullane (0-2), S Walsh (0-1), T Browne (0-1), K Moran (0-1), E Kelly (0-1).	Report	D Tracey (0-4,0-3f), E Dillon (0-3), R O'Carroll (0-2), D Sutcliffe (0-1), R O'Dwyer (0-1), J McCaffery (0-1f), N McMorrow (0-1).

Kilkenny v Galway

1 April 2012 Round 5	Kilkenny	3-26 - 0-10	Galway	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
14:30	E Larkin 1-7 (5fs), TJ Reid 1-6, M Ruth 1-1, M Rice, C Fennelly 0-3 each, M Fennelly, R Hogan (1f) 0-2 each, A Fogarty, M Bergin 0-1 each.	Report	N Burke 0-5fs, A Smith 0-2, T Regan, C Donnellan, A Harte 0-1 each.

Tipperary v Cork

1 April 2012 Round 5	Tipperary	1-23 - 1-23	Cork	Semple Stadium, Thurles
14:30	P Bourke (1-6, 1-2f), N McGrath (0-5), J O’Brien (0-3), S Bourke (0-3), G Ryan (0-2), J Woodlock (0-1), P Maher (0-1), T Stapleton (0-1), E Kelly (0-1).	Report	P Horgan (0-9, 3f), C Lehane (1-2), C Naughton (0-4), D Sweetnam (0-3), J Coughlan (0-2), W Egan (0-1f), P Cronin (0-1), J Gardiner (0-1).

Galway v Dublin

15 April 2012 Relegation play-off	Galway	0-26 - 2-20 (aet)	Dublin	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
14:30	J Canning 0-12 (6f); N Burke 0-5 (4f); C Donnellan 0-2; D Hayes 0-2; D Burke, C Cooney, J Coen, J Glynn, J Regan, 0-1.	Report	P Ryan 0-9 (8f, 1 65); D Sutcliffe 0-3; N McMorrow 0-3 (1f, 1 65); C McCormack 1-0; R O’Carroll 1-0; J McCaffrey, A McCrabbe (65), S Lambert, D Plunkett, D Treacy, 0-1.

Dublin v Galway

21 April 2012 Relegation play-off replay	Dublin	0-19 - 4-21	Galway	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
16:00	P Ryan (0-11, 8f), M Quilty (0-3), C McCormack (0-2), J McCaffrey (0-1), D Treacy (0-1), J Boland (0-1)	Report	J Canning (2-7, 1-6f), D Burke (1-3), N Burke (0-4), D Glennon (1-2), C Donnellan (0-2) D Hayes (0-1), I Tannian (0-1), J Coen (0-1).	Referee: J Sexton (Cork)

Kilkenny v Clare

22 April 2012 Semi-final	Kilkenny	1-20 - 0-14	Clare	Semple Stadium, Thurles
14:00	M Ruth 1-3, R Power 0-9 (7f), C Fennelly 0-4, J Mulhall, E Larkin, K Joyce, TJ Reid 0-1 each.	Report	C McGrath 0-6 (5f), C Ryan 0-3 (2f), N O’Connell 0-2 (2f), L Markham, P Donnellan, S Collins 0-1 each.	Attendance: 15,424 Referee: Alan kelly

Cork v Tipperary

22 April 2012 Semi-final	Cork	1-25 - 2-15	Tipperary	Semple Stadium, Thurles
16:00	L O’Farrell 1-02, P Horgan 0-09 (6f), N McCarthy, W Egan (2f) 0-03 each, P Cronin, C Lehane 0-02 each, J Gardiner, P O’Sullivan, D Sweetnam, A Nash 0-01 each.	Report	B O’Meara 1-02, E Kelly 1-01 (1-01f), P Bourke 0-07 (5f), J Woodlock, G Ryan, N McGrath, S Bourke, J O’Brien 0-01 each.	Attendance: 15,424 Referee: M Wadding (Waterford)

Kilkenny v Cork

6 May 2012 Final	Kilkenny	3-21 — 0-16	Cork	Semple Stadium, Thurles
		Report		Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath)

Top scorers

Season

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Richie Power	Kilkenny	3-49	58	5	11.60
2	Niall Burke	Galway	1-47	50	7	7.14
3	Pa Bourke	Tipperary	2-38	44	6	7.33
4	Patrick Horgan	Cork	0-43	43	6	7.16

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Richie Power	Kilkenny	1-11	14	Cork
	Richie Power	Kilkenny	1-11	14	Tipperary
3	Joe Canning	Galway	2-7	13	Dubln
	Niall Burke	Galway	1-10	13	Cork
5	Joe Canning	Galway	0-12	12	Dublin
6	Paul Ryan	Dublin	0-11	11	Galway
	Richie Power	Kilkenny	1-8	11	Dublin
8	Eoin Larkin	Kilkenny	1-7	10	Galway
	Niall Burke	Galway	0-10	10	Dublin
	Richie Power	Kilkenny	0-10	10	Waterford
11	Danny Sutcliffe	Dublin	2-3	9	Kilkenny
	T. J. Reid	Kilkenny	1-6	9	Galway
	Pa Bourke	Tipperary	1-6	9	Galway
	Pa Bourke	Tipperary	1-6	9	Cork
	Paul Ryan	Dublin	0-9	9	Galway
	Patrick Horgan	Cork	0-9	9	Tipperary
	Patrick Horgan	Cork	0-9	9	Tipperary
	Richie Power	Kilkenny	0-9	9	Clare
19	Paul Ryan	Dublin	0-8	8	Cork
	Patrick Horgan	Cork	0-8	8	Kilkenny

Division 1B

      Division champions and promoted team       Relegated team

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Clare	5	5	0	0	10-98	3-75	44	10
Limerick	5	3	1	1	9-95	8-81	17	7
Offaly	5	2	1	2	8-98	8-83	15	5
Antrim	5	2	0	3	5-65	7-73	-14	4
Wexford	5	2	0	3	9-87	10-91	-7	4
Laois	5	0	0	5	6-74	11-109	-50	0

• Antrim are placed ahead of Wexford as they won the head-to-head match between the teams.

Fixtures and results

Limerick v Clare

25 February 2012 Round 1	Limerick	1-13 - 2-24	Clare	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
19:00	S Dowling 0-7 (4f), J N Moran 1-1, C Allis 0-2 (1 sl), D O’Grady, J Ryan & K Downes 0-1 each.	Report	C McGrath 1-10 (0-8f), C Ryan 1-1, J Conlon 0-4, N O’Connell 0-3, C McInerney & S Collins 0-2 each, P Donnellan & F Lynch 0-1.	Attendance: 5,390 Referee: J Ryan (Tipperary)

Offaly v Laois

26 February 2012 Round 1	Offaly	1-27 - 0-18	Laois	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
14:30	S Dooley (0-7, 0-3 frees), B Murphy (0-5), J Bergin (0-4), J Mulrooney (1-1), S Ryan (0-3), T Carroll (0-2), R Hanniffy, D Morkan, D Molloy, C Mahon, C Egan (0-1 each).	Report	W Hyland (0-8, 0-4 frees), B Dunne (0-4), J Fitzpatrick, T Fitzgerald, J Brophy (0-2 each).	Referee: J Owens (Wexford)

Antrim v Wexford

26 February 2012 Round 1	Antrim	3-18 - 2-15	Wexford	Casement Park, Belfast
14:30	S McNaughton 1-7 (6f), K Stewart 1-3, PJ O'Connell 0-3, K Sheeran 1-0, N McManus (2f), M Herron 0-2 each, N McAuley 0-1.	Report	E Quigley 2-0, T O'Leary, G Sinnott, G Moore (2f), P Morris (1f), R Jacob, J Berry (2f) 0-2 each, R Kehoe, PJ Nolan, S Murphy 0-1 each	Referee: E Hasson (Derry)

Clare v Antrim

11 March 2012 Round 2	Clare	0-20 - 0-12	Antrim	Cusack Park, Ennis
14:30	N O’Connell (0-6) 4 f’s, C McGrath (0-6) 4 f’s, C Ryan (0-3), C Morey (0-2), J Conlon, D Keane, C McInerney (0-1) each.	Report	S McNaughton (0-5) f’s, N McManus (0-4) 1 f, K Stewart, PJ O’Connell, C McFall 90-1) each.	Referee: B Gavin (Offaly)

Wexford v Offaly

11 March 2012 Round 2	Wexford	3-18 - 2-20	Offaly	Wexford Park, Wexford
14:30	H Kehoe (0-7, five frees), G Moore (1-1), D O’Keeffe (1-1), J Guiney (1-0, a free) E Quigley (0-2), D Redmond (0-2), PJ Nolan (0-2), T O’Leary (0-1), R Kehoe (0-1), R Jacob (0-1).	Report	S Dooley (0-9, eight frees), B Murphy (1-2), C Egan (1-1), D Molloy (0-2), J Bergin (0-2), D Morkham (0-1, free), S Ryan (0-1), D Mooney (0-1), T Carroll (0-1).	Referee: A Stapleton (Laois)

Laois v Limerick

11 March 2012 Round 2	Laois	2-12 - 1-24	Limerick	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
14:30	W Hyland 0-8 (6frees), B Dunne 1-2, M McEvoy 1-0, J Fitzpatrick, T Fitzgerald 0-1 each.	Report	D Breen 1-4, G Mulcahy, S Dowling (4frees) 0-6 each, C Allis 0-5 (3frees, ’65), N Moran 0-2, P Browne 0-1.	Referee: T Carroll (Offaly)

Laois v Clare

18 March 2012 Round 3	Laois	2-13 - 2-22	Clare	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
12:45	W Hyland 1-6 (1 pen, 3f), N Foyle 1-1, M Whelan, J Walsh, M McEvoy, J Brophy, S Maher, C Murray 0-1 each	Report	J Conlon 1-3, C Ryan 0-5 (3f), P Donnellan 0-4, S Collins 1-1, D Keane 0-3, J McInerney, J Clancy 0-2 each, N O'Connell (1f), C Morey 0-1 each	Referee: E Hasson (Derry)

Offaly v Antrim

18 March 2012 Round 3	Offaly	1-22 - 1-17	Antrim	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
14:30	S Dooley 1-10 (0-10f), J Bergin 0-04, B Murphy 0-03, C Mahon, J Mulrooney 0-02 each, R Hanniffy 0-01	[8]	S McNaughton 0-10 (0-08f, 0-01 '65'), D Lynch 1-00, P Shiels, PJ O'Connell, N McManus (0-01 '65') 0-02 each, M Herron 0-01	Attendance: Sparse Referee: Johnny Ryan (Tipperary).

Wexford v Limerick

18 March 2012 Round 3	Wexford	0-18 - 2-20	Limerick	Wexford Park, Wexford
14:30	H Kehoe 0-7, (5f, 1 '65'), J Guiney 0-3 (2f, 1, 65), D Redmond, D O'Keeffe, S Banville 0-2 each, PJ Nolan, R Jacob, 0-1 each	Report	N Moran 1-5, D O'Grady 1-2, C Allis 0-6 (5f), G Mulcahy 0-3, G O'Mahoney (f) , P Browne, M Ryan, N Maher 0-1 each	Referee: C Lyons (Cork)

Limerick v Offaly

24 March 2012 Round 4	Limerick	2-16 - 4-10	Offaly	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
19:00	S Tobin 1-2, C Allis 0-4 (2f, 1 '65'), N Moran 1-0, T Quaid 0-3, D Breen, G Mulcahy 0-2 each, P Browne, N Maher, S O'Brien 0-1 each.	Report	S Dooley 2-5 (1-0 pen, 0-3f, 0-1 '65', 0-1 sl), C Mahon, G Healion 1-0 each, B Murphy, J Rigney 0-2 each, D Horan 0-1.	Referee: C McAllister (Cork)

Clare v Wexford

25 March 2012 Round 4	Clare	3-16 - 0-18	Wexford	Cusack Park, Ennis
14:30	C McGrath (1-7, four frees), J Conlon (1-2), S Collins (1-1), N O’Connell (0-3, one free), L Markham (0-2), F Lynch (0-1).	Report	J Guiney (0-12, 10 frees, one 65), H Kehoe (0-2, free), D O’Keeffe (0-1), R Kehoe (0-1), J Berry (0-1), D Lyng (0-1).	Referee: A Kelly (Galway)

Antrim v Laois

25 March 2012 Round 4	Antrim	2-18 - 2-16	Laois	Casement Park, Belfast
14:30	S McNaughton (1-8, 4f), N McManus (0-4), C Carson (1-0), P Shiels (0-2), C Donnelly (0-1f), S McCrory (0-1), PJ O’Connell (0-1), B McFall (0-1).	Report	W Hyland (0-9, 0-6f), C Murray (1-2), B Reddin (1-0), D O’Mahoney (0-2), W Dunphy (0-1), S Bourke (0-1), A Collier (0-1).	Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath)

Wexford v Laois

1 April 2012 Round 5	Wexford	4-18 - 0-15	Laois	Wexford Park, Wexford
14:30	J Guiney 1-8 (1-5fs, 1 65), P Morris 2-2, R Jacob 1-2, H Kehoe 0-2, S Murphy, D Lyng, PJ Nolan, J Fogarty 0-1 each.	Report	W Hyland 0-9, (3fs, 1 65), S Lowney 0-3, M Whelan 0-2 (1f), J Walsh 0-1.	Referee: T Carroll (Laois)

Offaly v Clare

1 April 2012 Round 5	Offaly	0-19 - 2-14	Clare	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
14:30	S Dooley 0-12 (0-8 frees, 0-1 ’65 & 0-1 penalty), J Bergin 0-3, S Ryan 0-1, C Egan 0-1, D Morkan 0-1, C Parlon 0-1.	Report	C Ryan 0-7 (0-6 frees), B Donnellan 1-0, C Chaplin 1-0, C McInerney 0-2, A Cunningham 0-2, C Morey 0-1, L Markham 0-1, P Kelly 0-1.	Referee: J Sexton (Cork)

Antrim v Limerick

1 April 2012 Round 5	Antrim	0-17 - 3-22	Limerick	Casement Park, Belfast
14:30	S McNaughton (0-9, 4f), M Herron (0-2), E McCloskey (0-2), K Stewart (0-1), PJ O’Connell (0-1), N McManus (0-1), B McFall (0-1).	Report	S Dowling (2-4, 2-0 frees, 0-1 pen), C Allis (0-9, 2f, 0-2 ‘65s’), S Tobin (1-2), J Ryan (0-2), D Breen (0-2), N Moran (0-1), S Walsh (0-1), T Quaid (0-1).	Referee: A Nitwit Kelly (Galway)

Clare v Limerick

7 April 2012 Final	Clare	0-21 - 1-16	Limerick	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
18:00	C McGrath (0-12, 0-10f), N O'Connell (0-3, 2'65's, 1f), C Ryan (0-3), P Donnellan (0-1), J Conlon (0-1), A Cunningham (0-1).	Report	S Dowling (1-7, 1pen, 4f, '65), G Mulcahy (0-3), S O'Brien (0-2), J Ryan (0-1), N Moran (0-1), T Quaid (0-1), K Downes (0-1).	Attendance: 9,897 Referee: B Gavin (Offaly)

Wexford v Laois

15 April 2012 Relegation play-off	Wexford	5-12 - 0-19	Laois	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
14:00	J Guiney 3-5 (4fs), D Redmond, P Morris 1-1 each, H Kehoe, R Jacob 0-2 each, PJ Nolan 0-1.	Report	W Hyland 0-11 (8fs, 2 s/l), C Murray 0-3, S Bourke 0-2, J Walsh, T Fitzgerald, B Reddin 0-1.	Referee: D Kirwan (Cork)

Top scorers

Season

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Willie Hyland	Laois	1-61	64	6	10.66
2	Shane Dooley	Offaly	3-43	52	5	10.40
3	Shane McNaughton	Antrim	2-39	45	5	9.00
4	Conor McGrath	Clare	2-35	41	4	10.25

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Jack Guiney	Wexford	3-5	14	Laois
2	Conor McGrath	Clare	1-10	13	Limerick
	Shane Dooley	Offaly	1-10	13	Antrim
4	Jack Guiney	Wexford	0-12	12	Clare
	Conor McGrath	Clare	0-12	12	Limerick
	Shane Dooley	Offaly	0-12	12	Clare
7	Shane Dooley	Offaly	2-5	11	Limerick
	Jack Guiney	Wexford	1-8	11	Laois
	Shane McNaughton	Antrim	1-8	11	Laois
	Willie Hyland	Laois	0-11	11	Wexford
11	Shane Dowling	Limerick	2-4	10	Antrim
	Shane Dowling	Limerick	1-7	10	Clare
	Shane McNaughton	Antrim	1-7	10	Wexford
	Conor McGrath	Clare	1-7	10	Wexford
	Shane McNaughton	Antrim	0-10	10	Offaly
16	Willie Hyland	Laois	1-6	9	Clare
	Shane Dooley	Offaly	0-9	9	Wexford
	Willie Hyland	Laois	0-9	9	Antrim
	Willie Hyland	Laois	0-9	9	Wexford
	Shane McNaughton	Antrim	0-9	9	Limerick

Division 2A

      Division champions and promoted team       Relegated team

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Carlow	5	4	1	0	8-86	4-58	40	9
Westmeath	5	4	0	1	10–94	9-68	29	8
Derry	5	2	1	2	4-71	7-75	-13	5
Kerry	5	2	0	3	11-77	2-87	17	4
Wicklow	5	0	3	2	2–64	9-74	-31	3
Down	5	0	1	4	7-72	11-102	-42	1

Fixtures and results

Carlow v Down

26 February 2012 Round 1	Carlow	3-17 - 1-6	Down	Dr Cullen Park, Carlow
14:00	M Kavanagh 1-6 (4f), C Doyle 1-3, S Kavanagh 1-1 (1f), A Gaule, J Kane, D Roberts 0-2 each, P Kehoe 0-1f	Report	P Braniff 0-4f, D Toner 1-1, D Hughes 0-1	Referee: S Cleere (Kilkenny)

Westmeath v Kerry

26 February 2012 Round 1	Westmeath	0-19 - 3-8	Kerry	Cusack Park, Mullingar
14:30	B Murtagh (0-13, 9F, 1 '65), A Mitchell (0-2), J Gilligan (0-1, P Dowdall (0-1), A Mcgrath (0-1), Frank Boyle (0-1).	Report	P Boyle (3-0), S Brick (0-4, 3f), W O'Dwyer (0-2), S Nolan (0-1), A Boyle (0-1).

Wicklow v Derry

26 February 2012 Round 1	Wicklow	0-14 - 1-11	Derry	O'Byrne Park, Aughrim
14:30	J O'Neill 0-11 (8f), A O'Brien, E Glynn, R Keddy 0-1 each	Report	S Farren 1-4 (3f), R Convery 0-4 (1f), O McCloskey, P McCloskey, J Mulholland 0-1 each	Referee: D Hughes (Carlow)

Kerry v Carlow

11 March 2012 Round 2	Kerry	0-13 - 0-20	Carlow	Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
12:45	S Nolan 1-3, S Brick 0-5 (3f), W O'Dwyer 0-2, P Boyle, J Griffin, D O'Connell (1f) 0-1 each	Report	P Kehoe 0-11 (10f), C Doyle 0-3, R Coady 0-2, M Brennan, J Kane, M Kavanagh, E Byrne 0-1 each	Referee: J O'Connell (Cork)

Down v Wicklow

11 March 2012 Round 2	Down	2-11 - 0-17	Wicklow	Páirc Esler, Newry
14:30	P Braniff 1-6 (1f), D Toner 1-0, K McGarry , P Sheehan 0-2 each, P Keith 0-1	Report	J O'Neill 0-9 (7f), J Connors 0-4, A O'Brien 0-2, E Glynn, G Bermingham 0-1 each	Referee: L McAuley (Antrim)

Derry v Westmeath

11 March 2012 Round 2	Derry	2-13 - 3-19	Westmeath	Celtic Park, Derry
14:30	P Henry 0-10 (9f), R Convery 1-2, A Grant 1-0, P McCloskey 0-1	Report	B Murtagh 0-9 (8f, 1 '65'), P Greville 1-3, D Carthy 1-1, F Boyle 0-4, J Gilligan 1-0, J Clarke, A Dermody 0-1 each	Referee: D Magee (Down)

Down v Derry

18 March 2012 Round 3	Down	1-14 - 1-20	Derry	Pairc Esler, Newry
12:45	P Braniff 1-8 (1-8f), D Toner 0-3, E Clarke 0-2 (1 '65'), F Conway 0-1	Report	P Henry 1-10 (10f), R Convery, O McCloskey 0-3 each, S Farren 0-2, L Hinphey, B Quigley 0-1 each	Referee: O Elliott (Antrim)

Wicklow v Kerry

18 March 2012 Round 3	Wicklow	1-12 - 2-22	Kerry	O'Byrne Park, Aughrim
12:45	P Farrell 1-0, A O'Brien 0-4f, J O'Neill 0-3 (2f), T Doyle, E Glynn 0-2 each, C Moorehouse 0-1	Report	S Brick 0-10 (4f, 2 '65), S Nolan 2-3, J Flaherty 0-3, D Dineen 0-2, A O'Connor, C Harty, D O'Connell, PJ Connolly 0-1 each	Referee: P Murphy (Carlow)

Carlow v Westmeath

18 March 2012 Round 3	Carlow	2-17 - 1-16	Westmeath	Dr Cullen Park, Carlow
12:45	R Smithers 2-2, S Kavanagh (3f), M Kavanagh (3f), C Doyle 0-3 each, P Kehoe (2f), M Brennan 0-2 each, J Kavanagh, E Byrne 0-1 each	Report	B Murtagh 1-10 (1-9f, 1 '65'), J Shaw 0-2, P Greville, A Clarke, D Carty, E Price 0-1 each

Westmeath v Wicklow

24 March 2012 Round 4	Westmeath	3-19 - 0-10	Wicklow	Cusack Park, Mullingar
14:30	B Murtagh 2-9 (1-6fs), P Greville 1-1, J Shaw 0-3, F Boyle 0-2, P Dowdall, C Boyle, A Clarke and A Dermody 0-1 each.	Report	A O’Brien 0-6 (5fs, 1‘65’), E Kearns, R Keddy, E Glynn and T Doyle 0-1 each.	Referee: J O'Mahony (Limerick)

Kerry v Down

25 March 2012 Round 4	Kerry	4-27 - 1-21	Down	Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
12:45	S Nolan 1-6, S Brick 1-5 (3f), A Boyle 2-0, W O’Dwyer, D O’Connell 0-4 each, D Walsh 0-3, D Dineen (1 sl) 0-2, C Harty, PJ Connolly, J Flaherty 0-1 each.	Report	P Braniff (1-6f) 1-9, F Conway, E Clarke (1 65, 1 sl) 0-3 each, P Keith, C Baillie 0-2 each, D Toner, P Sheehan 0-1 each.

Carlow v Derry

25 March 2012 Round 4	Carlow	2-21 - 0-12	Derry	Dr Cullen Park, Carlow
12:45	S Kavanagh 1-3 (2fs, 1 65), E Byrne 0-4, M Brennan 1-1, P Kehoe 0-3fs, J Kavanagh, J Kane, C Doyle, A Gaul 0-2 each, R Smithers, H P O’Byrne 0-1 each.	Report	P Henry 0-9, (8fs, 1 65), P Kelly, O McCloskey, K Hinphey 0-1 each.

Wicklow v Carlow

1 April 2012 Round 5	Wicklow	1-11 - 1-11	Carlow	O'Byrne Park, Aughrim
14:30	A O’Brien 0-10 (6fs), W O’Gorman 1-0, E Dunne 0-1.	Report	P Coady 0-4 (3fs), S Kavanagh 0-3 (2fs, 1 65), M Brennan 1-0, D Roberts 0-2, P Kehoe, K McCabe 0-1 each.	Referee: P Casey (Waterford)

Down v Westmeath

1 April 2012 Round 5	Down	2-20 - 3-21	Westmeath	Páirc Esler, Newry
14:30	P Braniff 0-13 (11fs, 1 65), C Mageean 1-1, D Toner 1-0, C Bailie 0-2, M Ennis, E Clarke, D Hughes, F Conway 0-1 each.	Report	E Price, D Carty 1-4 each, N O’Brien 1-0, B Murtagh 0-5 (1f), J Shaw, A Dermody 0-2 each, J Clarke, A Clarke, D McCormack, R Grenville 0-1 each.	Referee: G Duffy (Antrim)

Derry v Kerry

1 April 2012 Round 5	Derry	0-15 - 1-7	Kerry	Celtic Park, Derry
14:30	K Hinphey 0-5, R Convery 0-3, P Henry 0-2, P Kelly 0-2, C Gilmore, L Craig, A Grant 0-1 each.	[www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/hurling/derry-dominate-kingdom-189136.html Report]	D O’Connell 0-5, J Lahert 1-0, PJ Connolly 0-2.	Referee: O Elliot (Antrim)

Carlow v Westmeath

15 April 2012 Final	Carlow	1-14 - 0-12	Westmeath	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
16:00	M. Clowry (1-0), P. Kehoe (0-3, 0-2 from frees), S. Kavanagh (0-3 from frees), M. Kavanagh (0-2 from frees), C. Doyle (0-2), A. Gaule (0-2), D. Roberts (0-1), J. Kavanagh (0-1).	Report	B. Murtagh (0-5, 0-2 from frees), N. O’Brien (0-5, 0-3 from frees, 0-1 from a ’65), D. McCormack (0-2).	Referee: C Lyons (Cork)

Wicklow v Down

22 April 2012 Relegation play-off	Wicklow	2-14 — 0-17	Down	St. Loman's Park, Trim
2:30 p.m.	J O'Neill (1-0 pen, 0-1f), E Kearns 1-1 each; W Gorman, E Glynn 0-3 each; A O'Brien, R Keddy 0-2 each; B Cuddihy, C Moorehouse 0-1 each	Report	P Braniff 0-14 (10f); M Cunningham (s/l), D Toner, A O'Prey 0-1 each	Referee: F Smith (Meath)

Top scorers

Season

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Brendan Murtagh	Westmeath	3-51	60	6	10.00
2	Paul Braniff	Down	3-37	46	5	9.20
3	Paddy Henry	Derry	1-31	34	4	8.50

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Brendan Murtagh	Westmeath	2-9	15	Wicklow
2	Brendan Murtagh	Westmeath	1-10	13	Carlow
	Paddy Henry	Derry	1-10	13	Down
	Paul Braniff	Down	0-13	13	Westmeath
	Brendan Murtagh	Westmeath	0-13	13	Kerry
6	Paul Braniff	Down	1-8	11	Derry
	Paudie Kehoe	Carlow	0-11	11	Kerry
	Jonathan O'Neill	Wicklow	0-11	11	Derry
9	Paddy Henry	Derry	0-10	10	Westmeath
	Andy O'Brien	Wicklow	0-10	10	Carlow
	Shane Brick	Kerry	0-10	10	Wicklow
12	Pádraig Boyle	Kerry	3-0	9	Westmeath
	Shane Nolan	Kerry	1-6	9	Down
	Paul Braniff	Down	1-6	9	Kerry
	Paul Braniff	Down	1-6	9	Wicklow
	Brendan Murtagh	Westmeath	0-9	9	Derry
	Jonathan O'Neill	Wicklow	0-9	9	Down
	Paddy Henry	Derry	0-9	9	Carlow

Division 2B

      Division champions and promoted team

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Kildare	5	4	0	1	13-104	2-68	69	8
Meath	5	3	1	1	7-74	5-50	30	7
Mayo	5	2	1	2	6-69	5-84	-12	5
London	5	2	0	3	7-75	6-74	4	4
Armagh	5	2	0	3	1-66	12-95	-62	4
Roscommon	5	1	0	4	7-68	11-85	-29	2

• London are placed ahead of Armagh because they won the head-to-head game between the teams.

Fixtures and results

Meath v Kildare

26 February 2012 Round 1	Meath	0-13 - 1-12	Kildare	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
14:30	N Horan 0-5 (5f), S Clynch 0-3 (2f), N Kirby (0-2), S Donoghue (0-1), E Marsh (0-1), P Durnin (0-1).	Report	P Divilly 1-2 (0-2f), L Quinn (0-3), R Hoban (0-2 one free, one '65'), C Kenny (0-2), M Maloney (0-1), D Harney (0-1), J Enright (0-1).

Roscommon v Mayo

26 February 2012 Round 1	Roscommon	1-8 - 0-16	Mayo	Athleague
14:30	G Fallon (1-0), D Nolan (0-3), G Fallon (0-2), S Curley (0-1), T Seale (0-1), J Coyne (0-1).	Report	K Higgins (0-10), C Freeman (0-4), C McCrudden (0-1), K Feeney (0-1).	Referee: C Browne (Galway)

London v Armagh

26 February 2012 Round 1	London	2-21 - 0-12	Armagh	Ruislip
14:30	E Brennan 2-1, P Sloane 0-5 (2f, 1 ’65), E Gleeson 0-3, E Cooney, S Ryan, T Dunne 0-2 each, G Fennelly, N Forde, M O’Meara, H Vaughan, N Rogers 0-1 each.	Report	D Carvill 0-5 (4f), C Carvill 0-2, D Coulter (f), F Bradley, A Carville, M Lennon 0-1 each.	Referee: F Smith (Meath)

Kildare v London

11 March 2012 Round 2	Kildare	0-24 - 0-15	London	Newbridge
12:45

Mayo v Meath

11 March 2012 Round 2	Mayo	3-12 - 1-18	Meath	McHale Park, Castlebar
12:45

Armagh v Roscommon

11 March 2012 Round 2	Armagh	1-20 - 1-14	Roscommon	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
14:30

Armagh v Mayo

18 March 2012 Round 3	Armagh	0-11 - 0-5	Mayo	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
14:30

Roscommon v Kildare

18 March 2012 Round 3	Roscommon	1-13 - 5-19	Kildare	Athleague
14:30

London v Meath

18 March 2012 Round 3	London	0-7 - 2-8	Meath	Ruislip
14:30

London v Mayo

24 March 2012 Round 4	London	3-18 - 1-10	Mayo	Ruislip
14:30

Kildare v Armagh

25 March 2012 Round 4	Kildare	7-30 - 0-7	Armagh	Newbridge
12:45

Meath v Roscommon

25 March 2012 Round 4	Meath	3-16 - 1-11	Roscommon	Pairc Tailteann, Navan
14:30

Roscommon v London

1 April 2012 Round 5	Roscommon	3-22 - 2-14	London	Athleague
14:30

Armagh v Meath

1 April 2012 Round 5	Armagh	0-8 - 1-19	Meath	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
14:30

Mayo v Kildare

1 April 2012 Round 5	Mayo	1-20 - 0-19	Kildare	McHale Park, Castlebar
14:30	K Feeney (0-11,9f, 1 65’), S Hoban (1-3), B Hunt (0-3), C Freeman (0-2), K Higgins (0-1).		P Divilly (0-8,7f), M Fitzgerald (0-4, 1f), T Murphy (0-2), R Kelly (0-1), D Butler (0-1), M Moloney (0-1), D Smith (0-1), L Quinn (0-1).	Referee: C Brown (Galway)

Kildare v Meath

15 April 2012 Final	Kildare	3-13 - 1-12	Meath	Parnell Park

Division 3A

      Division champions (not promoted)       Relegated team

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Monaghan	5	4	1	0	6-78	5-50	31	9
Fingal	5	4	0	1	9-73	4-69	19	8
Louth	5	2	2	1	6–87	4-63	30	6
Tyrone	5	2	0	3	4-82	7-75	-2	4
Donegal	5	1	0	4	7-61	9-99	-44	2
Sligo	5	0	1	4	8-58	11-83	-34	1

Fixtures and results

Tyrone v Sligo

26 February 2012 Round 1	Tyrone	3-18 - 2-09	Sligo	Healy Park, Omagh
14:30

Monaghan v Donegal

26 February 2012 Round 1	Monaghan	1-18 - 1-11	Donegal	Clones
14:30

Louth v Fingal

26 February 2012 Round 1	Louth	0-12 - 1-13	Fingal	Dowdallshill
14:30

Sligo v Louth

11 March 2012 Round 2	Sligo	2-13 - 1-16	Louth	Markievicz Park, Sligo
12:45

Fingal v Monaghan

11 March 2012 Round 2	Fingal	0-11 - 0-16	Monaghan	Swords
14:30

Donegal v Tyrone

11 March 2012 Round 2	Donegal	1-10 - 0-24	Tyrone	Letterkenny
14:30

Monaghan v Louth

18 March 2012 Round 3	Monaghan	1-09 - 1-09	Louth	Inniskeen
14:30

Fingal v Tyrone

18 March 2012 Round 3	Fingal	4-15 - 0-14	Tyrone	Swords
14:30

Donegal v Sligo

18 March 2012 Round 3	Donegal	1-16 - 2-12	Sligo	Letterkenny
14:30

Sligo v Fingal

25 March 2012 Round 4	Sligo	0-15 - 2-15	Fingal	Markievicz Park, Sligo
14:30

Tyrone v Monaghan

25 March 2012 Round 4	Tyrone	1-10 - 0-17	Monaghan	Healy Park, Omagh
12:45

Louth v Donegal

25 March 2012 Round 4	Louth	4-24 - 0-12	Donegal	Dowdallshill
14:30

Fingal v Donegal

1 April 2012 Round 5	Fingal	2-19 - 4-12	Donegal	Swords
14:30

Monaghan v Sligo

1 April 2012 Round 5	Monaghan	0-24 - 0-16	Sligo	Inniskeen
14:30

Louth v Tyrone

1 April 2012 Round 5	Louth	4-18 - 2-9	Tyrone	Dowdallshill
14:30

Donegal v Sligo

15 April 2012 Relegation playoff	Donegal	2-13 - 0-16	Sligo	Brewster Park, Enniskillen
16:30

Fingal v Monaghan

15 April 2012 Final	Fingal	w/o — scr.	Monaghan	O'Connor Park, Tullamore

The Monaghan team gave a walkover after a dispute with the county board, who had refused to reschedule Gaelic football club games to allow their players to rest for the final.^[9]

Division 3B

      Division champions and promoted team

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Fermanagh	3	3	0	0	6-41	3-16	34	6
Warwickshire	3	2	0	1	11-49	2-29	47	4
Leitrim	3	1	0	2	6-35	9-57	-31	2
Longford	3	0	0	3	1-15	10-38	-50	0

Fixtures and results

Longford v Leitrim

18 March 2012 Round 1	Longford	1-8 - 2-21	Leitrim	Michael Fay Park, Longford
14:30

Fermanagh v Warwickshire

18 March 2012 Round 1	Fermanagh	0-14 - 1-10	Warwickshire	Brewster Park, Enniskillen
14:30

Warwickshire v Longford

25 March 2012 Round 2	Warwickshire	8-19 - 0-5	Longford	Páirc na hÉireann, Solihull
14:30

Leitrim v Fermanagh

25 March 2012 Round 2	Leitrim	2-6 - 6-27	Fermanagh	Seán O'Heslin park, Ballinamore
14:30

Leitrim v Warwickshire

1 April 2012 Round 3	Leitrim	2-10 - 2-20	Warwickshire	Seán O'Heslin park, Ballinamore
14:30

Fermanagh v Longford

1 April 2012 Round 3	Fermanagh	w/o - scr.	Longford	Irvinestown
14:30		Report

Warwickshire v Fermanagh

14 April 2012 Final	Warwickshire	2-5 - 2-15	Fermanagh	Parnell Park, Dublin
14:00

Broadcasting rights

Setanta Sports and TG4 provided live coverage of matches in Ireland with RTE providing highlights on Sunday nights. The finals were all shown live on TG4. Setanta Sports broadcasts live matches in Australia. Setanta Sports also provides matches from the National Hurling League in Asia.

References

1. "Kilkenny's early blitz ends Rebel resistance". Irish Independent. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
2. "Just another test passed for in-form Larkin and Kilkenny". Irish Times. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
3. "As it Happened: Cork 0-16 Kilkenny 3-21". RTÉ Sport. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
4. "Counties to vote on new hurling league format". Irish Independent. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
5. "Hurling League changes are announced". RTÉ Sport. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
6. "Revamp announced for next year’s hurling league". Irish Examiner. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
7. "Hurling's elitist divide". Irish Independent. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
8. "Offaly Antrim".
9. Entertainment. "Skerries rugby success - Gaelic Football, Sport". Fingal-Independent.ie. Retrieved 15 August 2012.

External links

• 2012 National Hurling League Fixtures and Results