Slaneysiders slaughter Laois

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 last night.

Wexford opened impressively, moving into a 1-4 to 0-1 lead as early as the fifth minute, the goal coming from full-forward James Breen.

Even at this early stage, Laois looked in real difficulty as they were been outhurled all over the pitch but 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 goal soon after.

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 Foyle, whose efforts left nine points separating the sides, 3-4 to 0-4 after 13 minutes, the home side’s third goal coming courtesy of Pádraig Doran.

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 on the resumption.

The visitors tried to up their game on the changeover, responding with a Neil Foyle pointed free inside two minutes.

However, 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 James 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, with Foyle’s second goal from a free proving a consolation score..

Wexford now await the winners of the Dublin-Offaly game in the final.

WEXFORD: M Fanning; W Devereux, M O’Hanlon, E Moore; J Gahan, M O’Regan, S Murphy; E Kent (0-5, (3f), R Sludds; S Tomkins (1-1), H Kehoe (0-5 (1f), L Óg McGovern (2-0); P Morris (1-1), J Breen (2-1), P Doran (1-3).

Subs: P Donnelly for O’Regan (30); D O’Keeffe (0-1) for Kent (44); I Byrne (0-1) for Breen (48); Michael O’Hanlon for Morris (48); J Reck for McGovern (54).

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, (5f), T Ryan; P Keating, W Dunphy, B Reddin (0-1).

Subs: C Kavanagh for O’Mara (23); D Lalor (1-0) for Gaughan (35); D Shanahan for Keating (42).

Referee: A Lagrue (Kildare).