GAA: LEINSTER UNDER-21 HC SEMI-FINAL: Wexford 7-18 Laois 2-10:WEXFORD MADE it a dismal week for Laois hurling as they handed the visitors a real mauling in this one-sided Leinster Under-21 hurling championship semi-final at Wexford Park yesterday evening.

Wexford opened impressively moving into a 1-4 to 0-1 lead as early as the fifth minute, with the goal coming from full-forward James Breen. Even at this early stage Laois looked in real difficulty as they were being outhurled all over the pitch. They were given a brief respite when Neil Foyle pointed an eighth-minute free.

Wexford were sharp and aggressive in attack as Liam Óg McGovern cracked home a ninth-minute goal. It was going to take something impressive from Laois to bring them back into the game but all they had to offer was the accurate point taking of centre-forward Neil Foyle, whose efforts left nine points separating the sides, 3-4 to 0-4 after 13 minutes, the home side’s third goal courtesy of Pádraig Doran one minute earlier.

Laois were always playing catch-up as they allowed McGovern through for his second goal at the end of the opening quarter. By half-time the home side had raced into a 4-11 to 0-5 lead, and for Laois it was just damage limitation after that.

The visitors tried to up their game in the second half responding with a Neil Foyle pointed free inside two minutes, but the Wexford dominance was to continue as they responded immediately with a Shane Tomkins goal, before going on to add further goals through Paul Morris and Breen. Laois’s Daniel Lalor reduced the deficit with a 48th-minute goal by which stage the home side led 7-14 to 1-7 as they cruised to victory in what was a total mismatch. Laois’s second goal from top scorer Foyle, from a free, provided scant consolation.

Wexford now await the winners of Dublin and Offaly in the final.

WEXFORD:M Fanning; W Devereux, M O'Hanlon, E Moore; J Gahan, M O'Regan, S Murphy; E Kent (0-5, 0-3 frees), R Sludds; S Tomkins (1-1), H Kehoe (0-5, 0-1 free), L Og McGovern (2-0); P Morris (1-1), J Breen (2-1), P Doran (1-3). Subs:P Donnelly for O'Regan (30 mins); D O'Keeffe (0-1) for Kent (44 mins); I Byrne (0-1) for Breen (48 mins); Michael O'Hanlon for Morris (48 mins); J Reck for McGovern (54 mins).

LAOIS:E Reilly (0-1 free); B O'Mara, P Flynn, L Hegarty; G Gaughan, N Unwin (0-1), W Campion; G Burke, B Dunne; J Corrigan, N Foyle (1-7, 0-5 frees), T Ryan; P Keating, W Dunphy, B Reddin (0-1). Subs:C Kavanagh for O'Mara (23 mins); D Lalor (1-0) for Gaughan (35 mins); D Shanahan for Keating (42 mins).

Referee:A Lagrue (Kildare).