Ben Conroy inspires Laois victory over Carlow

Laois 1-17 Carlow 1-14: Laois half-time substitute Ben Conroy made an instant impact at Netwatch Cullen Park yesterday, scoring 1-2 in the opening minutes of the second half as Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett’s side stormed into an eight-point lead which Carlow were unable to claw back, despite a brave late rally in this Leinster SHC Round Robin tie.

This was a championship game low in quality. The tricky wind made good hurling difficult but hardly explained the inordinate number of sideline cuts produced over the course of the game.

It was pretty much score for score in the opening half, with the visitors establishing a two-point interval lead of 0-7 to 0-5. The half was a tale of the two free-takers, Laois midfielder Zane Keenan and Carlow’s Marty Kavanagh. Generally both defences were on top with neither full-forward line able to make any significant impact. The only score from play from either inside’s starting division was Seán Murphy’s point on the hour mark.