Round-up: Electric Ireland Leinster MHC action
The Electric Ireland MHC commenced this weekend. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
Electric Ireland Leinster MHC
Meath 2-15 Kildare 0-18
Laois 1-19 Kerry 0-15
Antrim 5-20 Wicklow 0-15
Offaly 5-26 Carlow 0-8
Meath, Laois, Antrim, and Offaly all picked up wins on the first weekend of action in the Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Hurling Championship as the race got underway in earnest to see who will join Kilkenny, Dublin, Galway and Wexford in Tier 1 competition, starting next month.
Laois will be particularly hopeful of gathering momentum after they had seven points to spare against Kerry at Laois Hire O’Moore Park, and this was despite shooting 18 wides, including all bar one of their dead ball opportunities.
Callum Jones, Tadhg Lowry, Bobby O'Connor, Cillian Hoey and Oisin Gilligan each got on the scoresheet in the first seven minutes for the home side, who looked slick and capable of scoring from all sorts of angles.
Points from David Cullinan and Thomas Scanlon settled Kerry, but a superb solo run and finish to the Kerry net from Bobby O’Connor helped push the lead out to six points.
Kerry responded with arguably their best spell of the game, shooting four in a row, and by half-time some fine scores from Ben O’Connor and a series of Seán Ross frees had them right in the game at 1-10 to 0-9.
Laois picked up the pace after the turnaround with Luke Hynes and Cillian Hoey among those who caught the eye for Brendan Phelan’s side.
On a weekend when Meath failed to squeeze into the promotion slots in Allianz League Division Two, there was a good news story for Royal County supporters in trim where Ben Healy of Na Fianna lit up the game, scoring 2-8.
Kildare has their own starlet in Naas player Cuan Óg MacAogáin who shot 0-9. Six of those scores were in the first half when Kildare bounced back from the concession of a first minute goal to Healy to lead by 0-11 to 1-6 at the half-time interval.
Meath began the second half just like the first, with Ben Healy taking just 30 seconds to bury a shot to the net to edge Meath 2-6 to 0-11 in front.
Again Kildare bounced back brilliantly with 0-5 in succession, a brilliant sideline cut from Adam Conway among the highlights. However, Meath finished with authority and class, outscoring the visitors 0-9 to 0-2, with Healy, Cathal Flynn and Kian McKeigue on the scoresheet.
Darver was the venue for the meeting of Antrim and Wicklow, and four points from Colin Lawrence in the first ten minutes helped wind-assisted Wicklow to move out to an 0-7 to 0-0 lead.
Antrim captain Logan McConville got the Saffrons off the mark in the 11th minute and by half-time goals from Eanna McGuckian and Conleth McNaughton had the Ulster County 2-10 to 0-11 in front.
Wicklow kept in the game, but McConville’s superb goal at the end of a driving run from midfield in the 45th minute put three goals between the sides and Antrim eased to a comfortable win from there.
In Netwatch Cullen Park today, Joe Furey made history by becoming the first player from Edenderry to play for the Offaly minor hurlers since Cillian Farrell in 1994, and the first player from that club – more normally associated with football – to line out with the Faithful County at any level since Farrell retired from senior after the 2004 season.
He celebrated by kicking things off with the opening score, a goal after just two minutes, and Brian Carroll’s side were comfortable for the remainder of the game, running out clear winners.
Keith O’Rourke, team captain Jack Collins and Edward Carty were among those who led the way as Offaly took a 1-13 to 0-6 lead into the second half, where further green flags from Carty, Seán Devery, Liam Mulhare and Kieran Coughlan rounded off a productive afternoon’s work.
