The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness 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. Format The format of the 2003 championship was as follows: 22 counties participated in the 2003 Championship. These teams were as follows: Leinster: Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. Munster: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. Connacht: Galway Ulster: Antrim, Derry, Down, London and New York. Provincial Championships The Leinster, Munster and Ulster championships were played as usual. The Leinster and Munster champions advanced directly to the All-Ireland semi-finals. The Ulster winners advanced directly to the All-Ireland quarter-final. Round 1: This round will feature 8 teams involving those beaten at the first round stage in the provincial championships. An open draw will be made to decide which teams play each other. Round 2: This round will involve the four winners of Round 1 plus the two beaten provincial finalists from Munster and Leinster. Another open draw will be made to decide the fixtures. Quarter-finals: Two quarter-finals will be played between the three winners of Round 2 plus the Ulster Champions. Semi-finals: These two games will involve the two winners of the quarter-finals plus the two Leinster and Munster champions. Summary Championships Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Preliminary rounds Final Rounds Munster Senior Hurling Championship Matches Ulster Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers Qualifiers All-Ireland {{football box | date = September 7 Final| team1 = Kilkenny| score = 1-14 - 1-11 | team2 = Cork| goals1 = M. Comerford 1-4; H. Shefflin 0-6 (0-4 frees); T. Walsh 0-3; D. Lyng 0-1 | goals2 = J. Deane 0-5 (0-4 frees); S. Ó hAilpín 1-0; N. McCarthy 0-2; T. McCarthy, B. O'Connor, J. O'Connor and S. McGrath 0-1 each| stadium = Croke Park, Dublin | referee = P. O'Connor (Limerick) :Match Report }} Championship statistics Scoring Last goal of the championship: Martin Comerford for