Should Kelly hit the nine-point mark today in Limerick he will take over the mantle of Tipperary's highest championship score of alltime from the legendary Jimmy Doyle.

Doyle has been a long-time leader, a memorable 0-9 in the 1961 AllIreland final against Dublin inching him past the then-leader Jimmy Kennedy, the first hurler in Munster championship history to raise 10 white flags in a single game, the 1949 final v Limerick in Cork.

CATS MAKE THEMSELVES AT HOME IN PORTLAOISE Kilkenny have not been beaten in a Senior Hurling Championship match in Portlaoise for 56 years! Yes, you have to go back to 1951, when Laois won 5-10 to 2-7 for the last time Kilkenny left there disappointed.

In the intervening five-and-a-half decades Kilkenny have hurled and won seven matches in O'Moore Park, In all Kilkenny have visited Portlaoise on 34 championship occasions, winning 25, drawing 2 and losing seven. Offaly's record in Portlaoise reads Played 41, Won 15, Drew 1, Lost 26 (see panel).

OFFALY'S PREMATURE SEMI-FINAL STORY "A Premature finish! The referee blew his whistle with minutes remaining and confusion ensued as the crowd came on to the field." Taken from a Offaly semi-final report of the past, most would jump to the conclusion that we're talking about the 1998 AllIreland hurling semi-final.

Not so, it was, in fact, a report of the 1942 Leinster SFC semi-final replay in which Carlow were leading Offaly 1-9 to 0-6 when the Portlaoise contest was mistakenly aborted.

A Leinster Council meeting took place the following Sunday where Carlow were awarded the game as Offaly refused to continue after the referee realised his mistake.

Offaly were suspended for six months and while their appeal against the awarding of the match was ruled out, the suspension was lifted. Carlow were beaten 0-8 to 0-6 by Dublin in the Leinster final.

HITMAN HENRY HAS RINGY IN HIS SIGHTS Should Henry Sheffiin manage just two points against Offaly today - and who would bet against that - he will leapfrog over the legendary Christy Ring and into second place in the alltime senior hurling championship scorers chart.

Though still over 100 points behind his proli"c black and amber predecessor Eddie Keher, Henry could, conceivably, take over top spot in the match average section.

Keher's match average, having made 50 championship appearances between 1959 and 1977 stands at a very healthy 8.78 but should Sheffiin rack up 11 points today his match average would rocket to 8.80.

BETCHA DON'T KNOW THIS NOW Tipperary's Jimmy Doyle, currently his county's highest scoring championship hurler of all-time, played 31 of his 39 championship matches at wing-forward, wearing number 12 in his earlier days, then making the number 10 shirt his own before returning briefly to the left wing. However what we want to know is in what position did Jimmy Doyle play his last championship match for Tipperary?

KELLY'S HERO IN SIGHTS Tipperary's all-time top scorers in the senior hurling championship Rank Total Player Score Games Avg 1 229 Jimmy Doyle 18-176 39 5.87 2222 Eoin Kelly 10-192 29 7.65 3177 Nicky English 20-117 35 5.43 4138 Michael Cleary 10-108 26 5.30 5137 Pat Fox 13-98 37 3.70 CATS' CRADLE Kilkenny and Offaly have clashed five times before in the SHC at Portlaoise with the Cats winning all five enounters.

1904 Kilkenny 3-11, Offaly 1-4 1909 Kilkenny 1-13, Offaly 0-3 1935 Kilkenny 7-7, Offaly 2-6 1968 Kilkenny 3-13, Offaly 4-6 1978 Kilkenny 2-17, Offaly 1-4 FAMOUS FIVE The all-time top scorers in the senior hurling championship Rank Total Player Score Games Avg 1 439 Eddie Keher (Kilkenny) 35-334 50 8.78 2307 Christy Ring (Cork) 33-208 65 4.79 3306 Henry Shef"in (Kilkenny) 18-252 35 8.74 4288 DJ Carey (Kilkenny) 34-186 57 5.05 5271 Nicky Rackard (Wexford) 60-91 35 7.74