Allianz Hurling League Division 1B

Kilkenny 2-28 Laois 0-17

By Alan Hartnett at UPMC Nowlan Park

Kilkenny are back on track in Division 1B of the Allianz Hurling league as a goal in either half from Tom Phelan helped them to a 17 point win over Laois,

The home side had too much quality for their visitors as they condemned them to a third straight loss and their second heavy one following their most recent defeat to Waterford where they shipped seven goals.

Laois played with the wind in the first half but it was Kilkenny who opened the scoring after 15 seconds through Billy Ryan.

However, Laois were good in the opening stages and went three points clear by the fifth minute with Stephen Maher landing two frees and midfielder Jack Kelly also hitting a brace.

Nevertheless, they were rattled in the seventh minute when a diagonal ball evaded sweeper John Lennon and resulted in Martin Keoghan and Tom Phelan combining for the latter to shot low to the net.

Laois lost their way after that as Kilkenny scored through Keoghan and Ryan to move ahead once again. After that, the half was largely nip and tuck but it was Laois’s accuracy in front of goal that prevented them from regaining the lead.

They fired eight wides in comparison to Kilkenny’s six and also dropped eight shots short into the hands of Kilkenny goalkeeper Eoin Murphy. Alan Murphy finished the half on seven points from the hosts with six of these coming from frees.

While Ross King, Fiachra C-Fennell and James Keyes joined those already mentioned for Laois – but they still trailed 1-12 to 0-11 at half time.

And the game would be over as a contest within 15 minutes of the restart.

James Keyes briefly got Laois back into it but then then conceded three points in a minute when two puckouts went wrong and the next lost puckout would prove fatal.

Tom Phelan beat Fiachra C-Fennell to a 50/50 ball and was then allowed to slalom through the Laois defence unopposed to score a second goal.

Alan Murphy, Billy Ryan and Keoghan added points with only Enda Rowland and Ross King offering resistance to leave it 2-20 to 0-14 with 20 minutes to play.

It was a procession after that as Kilkenny continued to knock over points at will to win very comfortably in the end and finished with a total of nine different scorers.

Scorers for Kilkenny: Alan Murphy 0-13 (10 frees), Billy Ryan 0-4, Tom Phelan 2-1, Martin Keoghan 0-4, Cillian Buckley 0-2, David Blanchfield 0-1, James Maher 0-1, Walter Walsh 0-1, John Walsh 0-1.

Scorers for Laois: Stephen Maher 0-3 (2 frees), Jack Kelly 0-3, Ross King 0-3 (1f), Enda Rowland 0-2 (2fs), James Keyes 0-2, Fiachra C-Fennell 0-1, Ciaran Byrne 0-1, Podge Delaney 0-1, Ryan Mullaney 0-1.

Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Tommy Walsh, Mikey Carey; Niall Brassil, Paddy Deegan, David Blanchfield; Cian Kenny, John Donnelly; Walter Walsh, Cillian Buckley, Tom Phelan; Billy Ryan, Martin Keoghan, Alan Murphy.

Subs: James Maher for Donnelly and Conor Heary for Brassil (both ht), James Bergin for Keoghan (55),Shane Murphy for Buckley (63), John Walsh for W Walsh (65).

Laois: Enda Rowland; Diarmaid Conway, Sean Downey, Frank Flanagan; Podge Delaney, Liam O’Connell, Ryan Mullaney; Jack Kelly, Fiachra C-Fennell; Paddy Purcell, Cha Dwyer, James Keyes; Ross King, Stephen Maher, John Lennon.

Subs: Padraic Dunne for Flanagan (ht), Ciaran Comerford for Maher and Conor Phelan for Lennon (both 45), Ciaran Byrne for Dwyer (52), Eric Killeen for O’Connell (58).

Referee: Richie Fitzsimons (Offaly)