Wexford and Laois will contest O'Byrne Shield final

Wexford and Laois will contest the Bord na Mona O'Byrne Shield final next Sunday in Clongeen, after wins over Wicklow and DIT respectively this afternoon.

Jason Ryan's Wexford side beat Wicklow 1-15 to 0-17 after extra-time in Enniscorthy, holding out at the finish despite Niall Murphy being dismissed late on..

Aided by a strong wind in the opening half, Wicklow led by 0-7 to 0-4 at half-time and extended their lead to four points early after the restart.

Wexford tied the game at 0-9 apiece, 15 minutes into the second half, with the introduction of Redmond Barry and dual player Lee Chin spurring them on.

Austin O'Malley moved the visitors ahead again and although Wexford levelled once more, a James Stafford effort pushed Wicklow ahead with five minutes left on the clock.

However Wexford forced extra-time at 0-11 apiece. Wicklow were reduced to 14 men following the dismissal of Nicky Mernagh on a second yellow card, with the sides deadlocked at 0-14 at the break.

Wexford took a 1-15 to 0-15 lead five minutes after the restart thanks to a Paudie Kelly goal and although they had Murphy sent-off, Ryan's charges held on to book a final berth.

Meanwhile, Laois turned in strong second half performance to finish as 0-15 to 0-7 semi-final winners over DIT at Portarlington.

The sides were tied at 0-4 apiece at the end of the opening half, but Justin McNulty's men were strongest on the restart.

Scores from Gary Walsh, Ross Munnelly, Paul Cahillane, Darren Maher and Conor Boyle pushed Laois five points in front by the end of the third quarter.

The visitors were reduced to 14 men following a second yellow card for David Hughes. DIT's first score of the second half came in the 52nd minute when Wexford's John McGrath pointed.

Laois continued to remain in control in the final quarter, outscoring the students by six points to two in the closing stages.