FOLLOWING the debacle of last year’s embarrassing Leinster championship exit to their fierce local rivals Kildare, Laois football was at a crossroads.

KILDARE won through to the O’Byrne Cup semi-final yesterday – they now play Louth – but the result was lost in the small print as seven players were sent off in an ill-tempered affair at O’Moore Park.

Kildare 0-11 Laois 0-8

IN the early months of 2009, staunch Nenagh Golf Club members, Paddy Heffernan and Seamus Hogan, began to plan an assault on the Bulmers All-Ireland Bruen Shield.

LAOIS selector Andy Shortall has backed their rookies to rise to the occasion in Sunday’s Leinster semi-final against Wexford.

MICK O’DWYER’S old pupils in Laois showed in Dr Cullen Park on Saturday that they haven’t forgotten what they learned from him and that they are maintaining progress under one of his former players in Kerry.

COLM COOPER, expected home from Chicago this week, will join the Kerry panel ‘straight away’ according to manager Pat O’Shea.

WITH this year’s Sigerson Cup being hosted for the first time by Carlow IT they will be desperately keen to be involved in the concluding stages over the weekend of March 7/8.

Peter O'Leary has been called into the Laois team for Sunday's Leinster SFC final against Dublin (Croke Park, throw-in 4.15pm) - with Donie Brennan the player to make way.

Laois 1-13 Wexford 0-13, Croke Park

Laois 0-14 Longford 0-9

Laois manager Sean Dempsey has named an unchanged side for tomorrow's All-Ireland U-21 football semi-final against defending champions Mayo at Hyde Park (throw-in 3pm).

Laois 0-13 Offaly 1-7, Portlaoise

Laois 1-13 Armagh 0-8, O'Moore Park

Laois 1-13 Armagh 0-8, O'Moore Park

Laois 2-10 Louth 1-13

Dublin have claimed their sixth O'Byrne Cup title, beating Laois 1-18 to 2-13 after a titanic 90-minute struggle in Tullamore.

Laois chalked up their first win under new manager Liam Kearns this afternoon as they made use of a second half wind advantage to secure a 1-11 to 0-7 O'Byrne Cup first round victory over Kildare.

Cork 2-13 Laois 2-13

GALWAY’S dream of an unprecedented hat-trick at the Bulmers inter-club festival of golf was shattered at Rosslare yesterday when they lost in agonising fashion in the finals of both the Barton Shield and Irish Junior Cup.

GALWAY’S golfers are all set to atone for the defeat of their hurlers by Cork in Sunday’s All-Ireland final following a fruitful opening day in the Bulmers inter-club festival at Rosslare.

GALWAY GOLF CLUB go in search of a rare treble at Rosslare this week when they contest the finals of the Bulmers Irish Senior and Junior Cups and Barton Shield.

A CORK-BORN priest has detailed the pioneering role of two Cork men who were among the first members of what is now one of the world’s largest international missionary orders.

Cork 1-9 Laois 1-9

Laois 0-10 Kildare 0-6

Laois 1-11 Dublin 1-11