LEINSTER SHC: THE NEW Leinster hurling championship format last night threw together a provincial semi-final between All-Ireland champions Kilkenny and Galway, in their first season contesting the province.

The winners will face whoever emerges from the other semi-final between Dublin and Wexford.

Details of the fixtures were also announced last night. Kilkenny and Galway will play on Saturday evening, June 20th, with the throw-in at 7pm in O’Connor Park, Tullamore.

The following day, Dublin and Wexford renew championship acquaintance in Nowlan Park, Kilkenny at 3.30pm.

It had already been decided that the Kilkenny semi-final would take place on the Saturday.

Asked had there been any plans to reconsider staging the matches at Croke Park on a double bill, Leinster chief executive Michael Delaney said: “No. The decision has been taken in the past couple of years to hold the semi-finals separately at grounds better suited to the attendances.”

Galway have defeated Kilkenny twice this decade, in the All-Ireland semi-finals of 2001 and ’05. They will be suited by the relatively low-key environment of a Saturday night fixture in Tullamore, as Kilkenny are a vastly more experienced Croke Park side.

For the first time, Galway will be able to survive defeat by Kilkenny, a fate they have suffered on three occasions in the past five championships.

The semi-finals will be a fourth meeting for Dublin and Wexford in three championships. They drew last year at Nowlan Park before Wexford ran out winners in the replay at Croke Park.

This year’s Leinster final will take place on Sunday, July 5th at Croke Park.

Should Galway win, the final would obviously be historic, but if Dublin qualify it would be still quite rare, as the county hasn’t contested a provincial final for 17 years.