1973 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1973 was the 87th series of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Limerick won the championship, beating Kilkenny 1-21 to 1-14 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.
Format
Overview
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1973 was run on a provincial basis as usual. It was a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random in the respective provinces - there were no seeds.Each match was played as a single leg. If a match was drawn there was a replay. If both sides were still level at the end of that game another replay had to take place.
The Championship
Munster ChampionshipQuarter-final: This was a single match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Munster.
Semi-finals: The winner of the lone quarter-final joined the other three Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings.
Final: The winner of the two semi-finals contested this game.
Leinster Championship
First Round: This was a single match between two of the 'weaker' teams drawn from the province of Leinster.
Quarter-finals: The winner of the first-round game joined three other Leinster teams to make up the two quarter-final pairings.
Semi-finals: The winners of the two quarter-finals joined Kilkenny and Wexford, who received a bye to this stage, to make up the semi-final pairings.
Final: The winner of the two semi-finals contested this game.
All-Ireland Championship
Quarter-final: This was a single match between London and Galway, two teams who faced no competition in their respective provinces.
Semi-final: The winner of the lone quarter-final joined the Munster champions to make up the semi-final pairing.
Final: The winner of the lone semi-final contested this game with the Leinster champions receiving a bye into the final.
Results
[Leinster Senior Hurling Championship]
[Munster Senior Hurling Championship]
[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]
Top scorers
;Overall| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| 1 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 2-25 | 31 | 4 | 7.75 |
| 2 | Francis Loughnane | Tipperary | 3-19 | 28 | 3 | 9.33 |
| 3 | Barney Moylan | Offaly | 3-18 | 27 | 4 | 6.75 |
| 4 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0-21 | 21 | 2 | 10.50 |
| 5 | Tom Byrne | Wexford | 2-12 | 18 | 2 | 9.00 |
| 6 | George Lanham | Laois | 2-10 | 16 | 2 | 8.00 |
| 6 | Pat Quigley | Dublin | 0-16 | 16 | 2 | 8.00 |
| 8 | Éamonn Cregan | Limerick | 4-3 | 15 | 4 | 3.75 |
| 9 | Pat Delaney | Kilkenny | 3-5 | 14 | 3 | 4.66 |
| 10 | Mick Brennan | Kilkenny | 2-7 | 13 | 3 | 4.33 |
;Single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| 1 | Francis Loughnane | Tipperary | 2-10 | 16 | Limerick |
| 2 | Tom Byrne | Wexford | 2-6 | 12 | Kilkenny |
| 2 | George Lanham | Laois | 2-6 | 12 | Offaly |
| 4 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0-11 | 11 | Wexford |
| 5 | Barney Moylan | Offaly | 2-4 | 10 | Laois |
| 5 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 1-7 | 10 | London |
| 5 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 0-10 | 10 | Kilkenny |
| 5 | Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | 0-10 | 10 | Dublin |
| 5 | Pat Quigley | Dublin | 0-10 | 10 | Westmeath |
| 10 | Johnny Walsh | Kildare | 2-2 | 8 | Offaly |
| 10 | Pat Delaney | Kilkenny | 2-2 | 8 | Offaly |
| 10 | Richie Bennis | Limerick | 1-5 | 8 | Tipperary |
| 10 | Francis Loughnane | Tipperary | 0-8 | 8 | Waterford |
| 10 | Gerald McCarthy | Cork | 0-8 | 8 | Tipperary |
Championship statistics
Miscellaneous
- Limerick win the Munster title for the first time since 1955.
- Kilkenny win the Leinster title for the third consecutive year. It is their seventh provincial three-in-a-row.
- London's win over Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final is their first championship victory since defeating Cork in the 1901 All-Ireland final.
- In the All-Ireland semi-final between Limerick and London, a unique situation arose when brothers Ned and Gerry Rea marked one another. Ned was full-forward on the Limerick team while Gerry was at full-back for London.
- Limerick win the All-Ireland title for the first time since 1940. It was their first time playing Kilkenny in the championship since then.
Player facts
Debutantes
The following players made their début in the 1973 championship:| Player | Team | Date | Opposition | Game |
| Jimmy Crampton | Tipperary | May 20 | Waterford | Munster quarter-final |
| Mick Culligan | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final |
| Seán Hehir | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final |
| Séamus Horgan | Limerick | June 24 | Clare | Munster semi-final |
| Ger Loughnane | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final |
| Michael O'Connor | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final |
| Noel Ryan | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final |
| Tim Ryan | Clare | June 24 | Limerick | Munster semi-final |
| Joe McKenna | Limerick | June 24 | Clare | Munster semi-final |
| John Buckley | Cork | July 1 | Tipperary | Munster semi-final |
| Noel Dunne | Cork | July 1 | Tipperary | Munster semi-final |
| Pat Moylan | Cork | July 1 | Tipperary | Munster semi-final |
| Tom Ryan | Limerick | July 29 | Tipperary | Munster final |
| Brian Cody | Kilkenny | September 2 | Limerick | All-Ireland final |
Retirees
The following players played their last game in the 1973 championship:| Player | Team | Last Game | Date | Opposition | Début |
| Jimmy Doyle | Tipperary | Munster quarter-final | May 20 | Waterford | 1957 |
| Mick Culligan | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1973 |
| Mick Kilmartin | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1971 |
| Michael O'Connor | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1973 |
| Tim Ryan | Clare | Munster semi-final | June 24 | Limerick | 1973 |
| Jimmy Crampton | Tipperary | July 29 | Munster final | Waterford | 1973 |
| Len Gaynor | Tipperary | July 29 | Munster final | Waterford | 1973 |
| Christy Jacob | Wexford | Leinster final | August 5 | Kilkenny | 1966 |
| Éamonn Morrissey | Kilkenny | Leinster final | August 5 | Wexford | 1972 |
| Martin Coogan | Kilkenny | All-Ireland final | September 2 | Limerick | 1961 |
| John Kinsella | Kilkenny | All-Ireland final | September 2 | Limerick | 1967 |