Celbridge set up Leinster final showdown against Richie Power's Carrickshock with fabulous win in Wicklow

Bray Emmets 0-13

Leinster IHC semi-final

Mark the date in the diary; Celbridge are back in a Leinster final for the first time since 2011 after they came through a tough examination against a well-oiled Bray Emmets outfit in Wicklow on Saturday afternoon.

They had to do it the hard way too, but despite playing with 14 men for almost 30 minutes following the 34th minute dismissal of Fergal Conway, they never let their lead slip and remained unerringly composed to see the game out and secure a famous win.

It sets up a mouth-watering clash against a star-studded Carrickshock side on December 3, with the Kilkenny champions able to boast the considerable talents of All-Ireland title winners Richie and John Power, Michael Rice, John Dalton and John Tennyson among their ranks.

Celbridge raced out of the blocks quickly, and midway through the first half they looked full value for their 0-6 to 0-3 advantage, but a combination of wayward shooting and a general improvement from Bray saw the visitors fail to score for the remainder of the half and allow their opponents to go in level at the break.

There was less than 30 seconds on the clock when Mark Moloney angled over a point from close range, while midfielder Fergal Conway soon got in on the act by stroking over his first score of the afternoon. Conway, having returned from holidays after missing Celbridge's last game, was an influential figure for the Kildare men throughout the opening half.

Diarmuid Masterson eventually got Bray up and running after five minutes of action, but a couple of points from Tom Fitzgerald -the second of which was an excellent one after clawing a high ball from the sky- put Celbridge firmly in control. Both teams traded a couple of points each up until the 17th minute, with Gerry Keegan pointing a free and Conway firing over his second for the Kildare side, while Christy Moorehouse and Ronan Cunningham both raised white flags for the home side.

A further couple of scores from Moorehouse, and one from Paul Cunningham, tied the game up as both sides entered the dressing rooms for the half-time break at 0-6 apiece. Celbridge's tally of seven wides had proved costly, while the clinical Wicklow champions were more efficient when shooting for scores.

Celbridge started the second half brightly as Gerry Keegan began to exert more of an influence on proceedings by scoring two points either side of an effort from Paddy Moloney. Matters took a turn for the worse five minutes after the restart however, with Conway being shown a red card following an over-exuberant challenge on Mark Lennon as the pair challenge for the ball from a Peter O'Reilly puc out. Lennon then struck the Wicklow men's first point of the second half soon after to narrow the gap to two points.

Keegan and Moorehouse became almost entangled in a one on one duel from that point onwards, with both men continuing to show their accuracy from placed balls, and with just eight minutes left on the clock it was 0-12 to 0-11 in favour of Celbridge.

It remained quite even as the game neared a conclusion, but Celbridge showed remarkable composure to see the game out in composed fashion. A point each from Mark Moloney and Keegan in response to a score from Mark Lennon gave the Kildare men a two-point advantage as the game elapsed into injury time, and when Billy White struck a sideline cut into Keegan, who then split the posts from the right handside, it seemed to assure the visitors of victory.

Enda Forde narrowed the gap to two points with a late score, but the Garden County men needed a goal by that stage, and with Celbridge remaining resolute in defence, it wasn't forthcoming.

Celbridge will have two weeks to prepare for a Leinster final against Carrickshock, who ran out 2-12 to 2-9 winners over Kiltale of Meath at the same time on Saturday afternoon.