Round-up: Allianz HL D2, D3, and D4 action

Allianz Hurling League Division Two

Donegal 1-20 Tyrone 0-13

Kildare 2-28 Kerry 0-17

Down 2-26 Derry 0-13

Donegal didn’t let their momentum from last week go to waste as they picked up a crucial 10-point win over Tyrone at O’Donnell Park in Letterkenny, pushing clear of their neighbours in the second half.

Seán Ward, Gerard Gilmore and Liam McKinney were all in fine form in the first half, but Aidy Kelly’s accuracy for Tyrone left the game up for grabs at half-time, when the home side led by 0-10 to 0-9.

The second half was a different story, however, with Donegal kicking on with points from Ronan McDermott and Brian McIntyre, and they were looking good even before Conor Gartland’s goal on the hour mark pushed the lead out to double figures.

The game got scrappy at the end with Tyrone’s Ben Gormley and Cormac Munroe both sent off, as was Brian McIntyre of Donegal, while Luke White crowned a fine afternoon’s work for Donegal when he saved Michael Little’s penalty in stoppage time.

Owenbeg was the clash between Derry and Down, two counties that picked up wins in the first round of games in Division Two of the Allianz Hurling League, and there was no doubt about the favourites for promotion by the time Colum Cunning’s final whistle confirmed a 19-point win for the visiting Mourne men.

Tom McGrattan shot 0-9 out of his eventual tally of 0-15 (0-7 from play) in the first half as Down racked up an 0-14 to 0-7 interval lead, and they also raised the first seven flags of the second half, including the game’s two goals.

Tim Prenter was on the mark with the first after his sharp run opened up the Derry defence with just two minutes played after the restart, and Eoghan Sands shortly added their second.

A Kildare side smarting from last week’s defeat in Ballycran had too much power for an inexperienced Kerry team at Cedral St. Conleth’s Park this afternoon, where Brian Dowling’s Lily Whites hit the net through Cathal Dowling in the fifth minute and never looked back.

Kerry manager John Griffin started with six debutants and introduced three more off the bench and while there were bright spots for the Kingdom, particularly when they rallied midway through the first half to cut a six-point lead back to three, Kildare always had more physical and scoring power at their disposal.

1-7 to 0-7 after 25 minutes became 1-14 to 0-8 at half-time, and while Kerry started the second half brightly with a point from Rory O’Mahony and another from substitute Seánie Buckley on the Dr. Crokes’ player’s first possession, the second goal of the game – scored by David Qualter after Louis Dee deflected Muiris Curtin’s shot – killed off their resistance.

Qualter ended the game with 1-12 while 11 other Kildare players got on the scoresheet, while Shane Conway scored 0-11 on his return to action for Kerry.

Allianz Hurling League Division Three

Roscommon 1-22 Armagh 0-10

London 1-18 Wicklow 1-17

Cavan 1-17 Sligo 1-12

Roscommon were the eye-catchers in Division Three of the Allianz League this weekend as they put Armagh to the sword with a devastating performance at King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park, bouncing back well from their defeat to London last week.

Cathal Kenny (0-5), Cian Murray (0-3) and James Hardiman (0-3) all scored well on an afternoon where 1-17 out of the Rossies’ 1-22 was struck from open play, with Finn Killion striking their clinching goal midway through the second half.

London corner-forward Dylan Dawson popped up with the winning score four minutes into stoppage time at Echelon Park in Aughrim, confirming the Exiles’ place on top of the Division Three table tonight with two games played.

Warren Kavanagh and Seánie Germaine scored the first two points of the game for the home side but London went on a run of 1-3 unanswered in reply, with David Devine scoring their goal after nine minutes.

That was the only time there was ever more than a score between the teams as Pádraig Doyle hit back with Wicklow’s goal a minute later, and while London briefly moved three clear again, even that was short-lived. By the final quarter the contest was point-for-point, with London taking the lead twice and then conceding the next score, only for Germaine to shoot Wicklow in front going into the last minute of normal time.

There was still enough stoppage time however for Devine to bring his tally to 1-4 with an equalising free, and for Dawson’s fourth of the contest to secure the away win.

The other contest in this Division today was at Kingspan Breffni, where Cavan were five-point victors over Sligo.

Shane Briody’s black card with 25 minutes played allowed Sligo to score a quickfire 1-1, their goal from Andrew Kilcullen, to level the game at 0-8 to 1-5 approaching half-time.

Three Liam O’Brien points restored Cavan’s advantage before the interval and when Canice Maher hit 1-1 for Cavan in the space of 60 seconds early in the second-half, the home side were in control.

Allianz Hurling League Division Four

Fermanagh 1-14 Longford 0-14

Warwickshire 1-18 Lancashire 3-12

Louth 2-24 Monaghan 0-12

Louth were comfortably the better team throughout their local derby clash with Monaghan at Dowdallshill this afternoon, but it was only in the second half that it showed on the scoreboard.

Monaghan had only two scorers in the game – Niall Arthur and Eithan Flynn – and nine of their 12 points came from placed balls. Louth could have been out of sight by half-timeas they were awarded two penalties, but Darren Geoghegan hit the post with one, while Hugh Byrne saved the second.

There was to be no reprieves in the second half, as Geoghegan went on to score 0-10 (0-4 from play) while Peter Fortune and Sam Phelan scored goals for the dominant home side.

Kinawley Brian Borus club was the venue for Fermanagh’s home tie against Longford, where Reuben Murray fired 0-5 for the visitors in the first half, but Caolan Duffy’s goal kept Fermanagh in touch, 0-10 to 1-6, and they powered on in the second half.

Finally it was all square at Páirc na hÉireann in Birmingham, where Lancashire rattled off the last 1-4 without reply to reel in their neighbours from Warwickshire.