The first Sunday in May ushered in the summer and the championship and in New Ross Wexford and Longford rose to the occasion, providing a drawn game which was sprightly, entertaining and exciting to the end.

About time for them to enliven a championship summer too.

Longford are without a big-time win in eight years. Wexford haven't had a championship success since beating Offaly four summers ago. Yesterday Wexford made all the running but never shook free of a dogged Longford side who resurrected themselves not once but twice in the course of the game. For the Wexford people in the 5,000 attendance the sense of deja vu was overwhelming and ominous. Wexford threw away a good lead against Westmeath last year and then went and lost in the replay.

This summer, though, Cyril Hughes is investing heavily in the future and the speculation was (although nobody could offer more than anecdotal evidence) that this was the youngest side ever to represent Wexford in the football championship. Another outing at least, then, will be no harm.

In a way the team have broken the mould already. For as long as we have been taking periodic glances at Wexford football sides they have been big and lumbering and designed to give teams a hard game if not to beat them. Yesterday's outfit was more of a pleasure to watch, moving the ball at speed and looking especially impressive when their young forward line began linking well.

For their part the last time some of us saw Longford they were on the rough end of a bad hiding by Offaly in Tullamore last summer and in the aftermath accusations flew about players who had sat at home that day while others went out to get mowed down.

This year under new management and a more tranquil philosophy they are pulling together well and in the second half yesterday when they got the wind at their backs and the confidence in their hearts they scored some wondrous points. A sign of their well-being was the lack of inhibition in the manner of their shooting from long distance. Their success rate with these pot shots after the break brought some scores which must have broken Wexford hearts.

They go into next week's replay at home in Pearse Park with the momentum all theirs. Having conceded a goal with 11 minutes to go, they went on to score 1-5 before the finish to tie the game.

Such was the dominance of their midfield in those closing passages that the full-time whistle arrived like a governor's last minute reprieve for a team on death row.

Longford had started better too, taking advantage of some nervous Wexford defending to stitch over three nerve-calming Dessie Barry free kicks in as many minutes. The sunshine which bathed Kennedy Park in New Ross, however, gave little hint of the fresh breeze which swept the length of the field. Wexford enjoyed the advantage of the elements in the first half and swept back confidently, rattling over six points without reply before Barry posted another free.

Six minutes before half-time Wexford got the break their football deserved. Jason Lawlor soloed determinedly from maybe 55 yards out towards the Longford goal, flicking to John Hegarty to set up a splendid goal.

Thus fortified, they added a couple more points to go the break leading by eight points.

Again, immediately after the throw-in, however, they seemed to lose concentration, conceding four points in four minutes before they steadied themselves and began to play football again.

They looked to have wrapped the matter up in the 24th minute of the second half when, after a period of fine play, they underlined their superiority with a well-worked goal. A string of short passes down the left wing kept the Longford backs dizzy before Barry Kirwan slipped a pass to Lawlor, who blistered a shot to the net.

It was tempting to leave then and beat the traffic, but Longford drew back the concentration with a ferocious reply. Enda Barden had a goal shot deflected wide on the very next attack. Pauric Davis pointed the 45, and then a couple of minutes later Niall Sheridan scored a classic fullforward's goal, pulling down a high ball and turning to drive home. Wexford were still four points ahead but they were offering novenas.

Davis added another free before Barry fed Barden for what should have been a goal but ended up wide. Longford reeled Wexford in with two more Barry frees and an enormous, nerveless kick from Davis which sailed over the bar.

Summer is here and this was a fine appetiser.