Round-up: Weekend's Allianz HL D3 action
Conor Mulry is a key performer for Roscommon. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Allianz Hurling League Division Three
Roscommon 5-18 Fermanagh 2-22
Wicklow 0-21 Donegal 0-14
Tyrone 3-22 Armagh 0-11
King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park will be the place to be on Saturday week as Roscommon prepare to host Donegal in a contest that looks like it could be a straight promotion eliminator in Division Three of the Allianz League.
Donegal had been the form team in the Division and were looking to make it five wins in succession when they hosted Wicklow in Letterkenny, but a combination of some superb shooting from Pádraig Doyle and 16 wides from the home side meant that it was the Garden County, who came away with a victory that keeps their own fate in their own hands.
Jack Doyle and Seanie Germaine hit the target from difficult positions in the early exchanges, but a booming Declan Coulter score from his own half and another from Brian McIntyre levelled up proceedings.
In the lead up to half-time Wicklow took control of the game however with Doyle nailing a string of frees and Jack Phelan also pointing twice, the latter a goal effort that fizzed narrowly over the crossbar.
Four up at half-time, Wicklow kept Donegal at arm’s length throughout the second half and Conor McNally’s save to deny Ryan Hilferty a goal with a little under 10 minutes remaining was the last decisive play for Wicklow, who will now play Louth in the final round of games knowing that if they win, they are guaranteed promotion, regardless of results elsewhere.
Louth will have nothing to play for as defeats for Armagh and Fermanagh over the weekend confirmed that it will be the Ulster duo who will be relegated.
Armagh made the short trip over to Garvaghy yesterday and opened the scoring through Dylan McKenna, but Tyrone quickly racked up the next eight points in succession to establish their dominance.
Turlough Mullin, Kiefer Morgan and Aidan Kelly all notched first half goals as Tyrone moved 18 clear by half-time, setting up a pedestrian second 35 minutes with no real doubt about how the Red Hands’ final game of the campaign would play out.
Roscommon hurlers went to the top of the table after they defeated Fermanagh by 5-18 to 2-22 in a high scoring game at Brewster Park.
Fermanagh’s fate was also sealed before the ball was thrown in today but they exploded out of the blocks with seven points in the first eight minutes, all from play. Seán Corrigan hit three with Caoimhín Heaney adding two more as he thrived in his role at wing back, having lined out on the edge of the square in several games this year.
Roscommon roared back however with a run of 2-6 unanswered themselves and by half-time they had five goals on the board.
Cian Murray, Conor Morris, Sean Canning (2) and Conor Mulry were all on target as Brian Hanley's men led by 5-11 to 0-13 at half time. Fermanagh scored two second half goals from Corrigan and Danann McKeogh but Roscommon had done more than enough to secure the league points.
A win or a draw against Donegal will be enough for them to secure a home league final, but defeat would see them squeezed out of the top two entirely, unless Louth do them a favour in Aughrim.
