Round-up: Allianz HL D3 action

Allianz Hurling League Division Three

Sunday

Louth 3-20 Fermanagh 2-19

Wicklow 3-14 Tyrone 0-15

Saturday

Roscommon 2-17 Armagh 0-12

Supporters who made their way to Brewster Park for this afternoon’s contest in Division Three of the Allianz Hurling League were treated to a rollercoaster contest.

Louth got out to a superb start to lead by nine points after 12 minutes, where Fermanagh came with a wet sail midway through the second half to take the lead with 10 minutes remaining.

However, Louth responded to hit the last six points in a row to keep their promotion chances alive and well in advance of what should be a hugely important battle with Roscommon in a fortnight’s time.

It was all plain sailing for the Wee County early in the contest when Mark Gahan, Conor Murphy and Peter Fortune hit three points in the space of a minute, Ciarán McKelvey and Andrew Cosgrave added goals, and then Seán Flynn’s point made it 2-5 to 0-2.

Eventually Fermanagh settled into the tie with Seán Corrigan and Eoin Cleary looking sharp close to goal, while Odhran Johnston and Danann McKeogh hurled a lot of ball through the middle third to greatly reduce the gap.

The margin was five points at half time and it was still five when Louth struck another hammer blow in the 44^th minute, Cosgrave cutting inside the defence to add his second and his team’s third goal of the match.

Instead of killing off Fermanagh’s challenge, that concession inspired the Erne men to produce their best spell of hurling of the match.

Seán Corrigan hoisted over two scores from long range in between two points from McKeogh, Louth tried to stem the bleeding with a point from Murphy, but the temperature in Enniskillen went sky high when Corrigan converted the rebound from a Cahair McManus goal effort, then McManus claimed a high ball and set up Dylan Bannon for a second.

Two points down, Louth showed character and quality to rattle off six points in a row to finish, three from Cosgrave and then insurance points from James Costello and Seán Flynn.

Goals made all the difference in Garvaghy where Wicklow made it a poor weekend all round for Ulster counties in this Division.

Tyrone had the breeze behind them in the first half but got out to a dreadful start, conceding a goal to Wicklow’s Andrew Kavanagh after just 20 seconds and then watching as Padraig Doran, Jack Phelan, Seanie Germaine and Jack Doyle rattled off a string of points.

There were 13 minutes on the clock when Ciarán Magill finally broke Tyrone’s duck with a point, and eight of the nine scores between that moment and half-time went the way of the Red Hand county. The problem for Tyrone was that their eight scores were all points, three from play from Magill, while Wicklow’s score was a sensational strike from Jack Phelan to the top corner of the Tyrone net.

The second half started the same as the first, with Wicklow scoring 1-4 unanswered. Phelan (two), Doran and Tommy Collins all pointed before Kavanagh hit his second goal of the game.

Tyrone were arguably the better team for the last 15 minute when Niall McGarel scored a couple of fine points from play while Aidy Kelly moved his tally to 0-6, but there was never any doubt about the result.

With Donegal on a bye, Roscommon took the chance to move alongside Wicklow, Louth and Donegal on four points by easily accounting for Armagh in the Athletic Grounds.

Liam Óg Coyle, one of a host of young players that graduated from the sides that reached three All-Ireland U-20 ‘B’ finals in succession from 2022 to 2024, broke the game open with a goal in the 20^th minute and his Four Roads colleagues Conor Morris, Tommy Morris and Conor Mulry stretched the lead out to six approaching the break.

Cian Murray’s goal with the last play of the half, assisted by Mulry, left Armagh with far too much to do and Roscommon easily kept them at arm’s length in a low-scoring half where just ten points were scored.

Darragh Finn, Tommy Morris, Eoin Kiernan and Conor Mulry were excellent for the winners but straight red cards for Jack Dowling and Gavin Staunton added a sour note for Hanley in advance of what’s likely to be a crucial trip to Darver to take on Louth in a fortnight.