A general view of Chadwicks Wexford Park. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
oneills.com Leinster U20 Hurling Championship
Galway 4-14 Dublin 0-10
Wexford 0-18 Laois 0-18
Westmeath 5-18 Derry 0-13
By Paul Keane
Aaron Niland netted twice as Galway powered to an impressive O'Neills.com Leinster U-20 HC defeat of Dublin, securing their semi-final place.
With Kilkenny already through to the last four as Tier 1, Group 2 winners, Galway duly dispatched Dublin in Tullamore to top Group 1 and similarly advance.
Free-taker Niland finished with an impressive 2-7 in total with his seventh and 31st minute goals both coming from placed balls.
Paddy MacCarthaigh, Diarmuid Davoren and Turloughmore's Mathew Tarpey were on the mark with points too as Galway hit the interval with a commanding 2-10 to 0-4 lead.
Fergal Healy's side did have the strong wind behind them initially and Dublin hinted with three of the first four points in the second-half, all from Sky Blues senior Diarmuid O Dulaing, that a fightback may be on the cards.
But the westerners' third goal in the 49th minute from Micheal Power all but settled it and Conor Dolphin added a fourth goal for Galway approaching the hour.
Galway finished level at the head of Group 1 with Offaly but nudged out the Faithful County on scoring difference. As a result, Offaly will progress to a quarter-final on May 8 against a Round 2 winner while Dublin, who have finished bottom of the table, will contest a Round 2 tie against the winner of a Round 1 game.
Meanwhile, with Kilkenny beating both Wexford and Laois in Tier 1, Group 2, the latter two counties met to decide who would finish second and third in that table and they couldn't be separated, drawing 0-18 to 0-18.
Wexford have the greater scoring difference so will take second position and will advance to a Leinster quarter-final on May 8.
Bottom placed Laois will have the opportunity to bounce back in Round 2 of the provincial championship.
A draw at Chadwicks Wexford Park was no great surprise because while Wexford led Laois by 0-10 to 0-8 at half-time, the teams were tied on seven occasions after the break.
Free-taker Simon Roche finished with 0-9 for Wexford and three Roche points in a row between the 49th and 51st minutes left the hosts 0-17 to 0-14 ahead.
Laois responded impressively with scores from Ben Deegan and goalkeeper Brochan O'Reilly and it was another point from a Deegan free in the 59th minute that ultimately left the game deadlocked.
In Tier 2, Group 1, Westmeath hit Derry hard and early to eventually win by 5-18 to 0-13, meaning they finish top of that table.
Kevin O'Brien's side led by 3-10 to 0-2 and added two more goals as they ran out 20-point winners. Their reward is a Round 1 date with Carlow who finished up as runners-up in Tier 2, Group 2. Kildare will play Meath in the other Round 1 tie next weekend.