2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 117th since its establishment in 1887. The first matches of the season were played in May 2003, and the championship ended on 14 September 2003. Kilkenny went into the 2003 championship as defending champions, having won their twenty-seventh All-Ireland title the previous year.
The championship culminated with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by Kilkenny and Cork. It was their first meeting in the final since 1999. Kilkenny won the game by 1–14 to 1–11. It was their second All-Ireland title in succession.
Team changes
To Championship
Promoted from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling ChampionshipFrom Championship
Regraded to the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship- None
Format
Leinster Championship
Participating counties (10)
Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, WicklowPreliminary rounds (6 matches)
The lower ranked 7 teams in the province contest these rounds. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.Semi-finals (2 matches)
The quarter-final winner and 3 highest ranked teams contest this round. The winners advance to the final and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.Final (1 match)
The 2 semi-final winners contest this game. The Leinster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Leinster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers round 2.Munster Championship
Participating counties (6)
Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, WaterfordQuarter-finals (2 matches)
The lower ranked 4 teams in the province contest this round. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.Semi-finals (2 matches)
The 2 quarter-final winners and 2 highest ranked teams contest this round. The winners advance to the final and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.Final (1 match)
The 2 semi-final winners contest this game. The Munster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Munster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers round 2.Ulster Championship
Participating counties (5)
Antrim, Derry, Down, London, New YorkQuarter-finals (1 match)
The lower ranked 2 teams in the province contest this round. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the losers are eliminated from the championship.Semi-finals (2 matches)
The quarter-final winners and 3 highest ranked teams contest this round. The winners advance to the final and the losers are eliminated from the championship.Final (1 match)
The 2 semi-final winners contest this game. The Ulster champions advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals and the Ulster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.All-Ireland Championship
Quarter-finals (2 matches)
The 3 winners of the qualifiers join the Ulster champions to make up the quarter-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate quarter-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.Semi-finals (2 matches)
The winners of the quarter-finals join the Leinster and Munster champions to make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate semi-finals where possible. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.Final (1 match)
The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game.Teams
General information
Twenty two counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: one team in the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, ten teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, six teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and five teams in the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.Provincial championships
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Preliminary rounds
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Semi-finals
----Munster Senior Hurling Championship
Quarter-finals
----Semi-finals
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Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
Semi-finals
----All-Ireland qualifiers
Preliminary Rounds
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Round 1
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Round 2
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All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Bracket
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The provincial champions are marked by an asterisk.All-Ireland quarter-finals
----All-Ireland semi-finals
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Championship statistics
Scoring events
- Last goal of the championship: Martin Comerford for Kilkenny against Cork
- First hat-trick of the championship: John Mullane for Waterford against Cork
- Widest winning margin: 43 points
- *Antrim 8–27 – 1-05 London
- Most goals in a match: 9
- *Antrim 8–27 – 1-05 London
- Most points in a match: 41
- *Tipperary 3–28 – 0–13 Laois
- Most goals by one team in a match: 8
- *Antrim 8–27 – 1-05 London
- Most goals scored by a losing team: 3
- *Waterford 3–12 – 3–16 Cork
- *Carlow 3-07 – 3–15 Waterford
- Most points scored by a losing team: 17
- *Galway 1–17 – 1–18 Tipperary
Team statistics
- Most goals scored – Antrim
- Most points scored – Tipperary
- Most goals conceded – Carlow and Wexford
- Most points conceded – Wexford
- Fewest goals scored – Kildare and Wicklow
- Fewest points scored – Kildare
- Fewest points conceded – Kildare
- Fewest goals conceded – Wicklow
Miscellaneous
- First-time championship meetings:
- * Kerry v Westmeath
- * Kerry v Carlow
- * Kerry v Derry
- * Wexford v Waterford
- Kerry return to the Munster Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 2000.
- Kerry's wins over Westmeath, Carlow and Derry were the first time they won three All-Ireland Senior Hulring Championship matches in a row.