Gaelic Games

Antrim seal top spot in Leinster hurling round robin

Victory over Laois build on second-half display

Laois’s John A Delaney battles for possession with Antrim’s PJ O’Connell during the Leinster senior hurling qualifier round five match at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise. Photograph: Inpho
Laois’s John A Delaney battles for possession with Antrim’s PJ O’Connell during the Leinster senior hurling qualifier round five match at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise. Photograph: Inpho
Mon May 26 2014 - 01:00

Antrim 0-22
Laois 0-20

An inspired second-half performance by the visitors Antrim earned them top spot in the Leinster Round Robin series at O'Moore Park yesterday. The teams were level on points before yesterday's game and it was the home team that looked the better side in the opening half after Willie Hyland put them in front after two minutes. Hyland went on to be the games most important player of the game in the opening half hitting five excellent points before half time indeed Kevin Ryan replaced his marker after twenty two minutes.

Stephen Maher was deadly accurate from placed balls and ensured that Laois were three points in front most of the half although Antrim did not score from play until the twenty first minute. Paul Shiels was in deadly accurate form throughout and he kept the visitors in touch with five great scores and in the closing minutes points were traded between Stephen Maher and Conor Johnson saw Laois lead 0-12 to 0-8.

Antrim were a transformed team on the resumption shooting five unanswered points from five different players Conor Carson putting them in front after forty two minutes and although Neil Foyle scored a magnificent point Antrim were never headed.

Laois emptied the bench and a point by Stephen Maher in the sixty ninth minute reduced the margin to the minimum but it was Conor McCann who had the last say with his third point and it means Antrim will take on Wexford and Laois play Galway in next Sundays double header at the Portlaoise venue. LAOIS: E Reilly; J A Delaney, B Campion, B Stapleton; J Fitzpatrick, M Whelan, D Palmer; T Delaney, P Whelan (0-1); J Purcell, W Hyland (0-5), S Maher (0-9); N Foyle (0-1), C Dwyer, T Fitzgerald (0-1); Subs D Maher for J A Delaney 46m, J Campion (0-1) for D Palmer 46m, R King (0-2) for J Purcell 45m. ANTRIM: C O'Connell; O McFadden, N McAuley, C Johnson; A Graffin (0-2), C McKinley, S McCrory; E Campbell (0-1), P Shiels (0-8); C McCann (0-3), C Carson (0-1), N McManus; C Clarke (0-1), C Johnson (0-2), PJ O'Connell (0-3); Subs B McFall for S McCrory 22m, S McToal for C Johnson h/t, D Hamill for O McFadden 38m, S McAfee (0-1) for C Clarke 55m, M Donnelly for C Johnson 56m. Referee: Fergal Horgan Tipperary