Two wins for Waterford after comfortable Division 1B victory

[team1]Laois[/team1][score1]1-15[/score1][team2]Waterford[/team2][score2]4-22[/score2][/score]

Waterford made it two wins from two in NHL Division 1B with a comfortable win over Laois in O'Moore Park today.

The Déise racked up four goals, saw Stephen Bennett score 0-12 for the second game in a row, and welcomed Maurice Shanahan back as a late sub in what was a routine win.

Waterford took the lead after a scrappy start to the game, Mark O'Brien pointing from the left wing, but parity was soon restored. Mark Kavanagh landed a free for Laois after a foul on Neil Foyle, but that was as good as things got for the O'Moore men.

From the next attack, Jack Prendergast and Mikey Kearney combined to set up Patrick Curran, and he rifled a shot past Enda Rowland in the Laois goal. To hammer home their superiority, Waterford scored the next five points without reply, all of them coming from the stick of Stephen Bennett.

PJ Scully tried to rally the home side with a long-range free, but Waterford kept hitting back with interest. Mikey Kearney got his first of the day before Bennett added two more from frees to see the visitors lead by ten.

Laois rallied and Ryan Mullaney and Sean Downey both pointed from distance, but once again Waterford hit back strongly. Kearney got his second point before Thomas Ryan's searing pace saw him through on goal, and he raised Waterford's second green flag.

Laois opened the second half with a straight red card for Lee Cleere, and if the game wasn't over already, it certainly was now. Patrick Curran and Thomas Ryan added further goals for Waterford, with Mark Kavanagh managing a late consolation for Laois.

SCORERS - Waterford: S Bennett 0-12 (0-8f, 65), P Curran 2-2, T Ryan 2-1, M Kearney 0-3, DJ Foran, C Dunford, M O'Brien, M Shanahan 0-1 each.

Laois: M Kavanagh 1-8 (0-8f), J Kelly 0-2, PJ Scully (f), R Mullaney, S Downey, N Foyle, W Dunphy 0-1 each.

LAOIS - E Rowland; J Kelly, M Whelan, J Phelan; C Phelan, R Mullaney, S Downey; PJ Scully, D Hartnett; J Lennon, E Lyons, A Dunphy; P Purcell, M Kavanagh, N Foyle. Subs: C Dwyer for Scully (32), L Cleere for C Phelan (ht), W Dunphy for Dwyer (41, inj), P Delaney for Downey (59), Stephen Maher for Foyle (59)

WATERFORD - B Nolan; S McNulty, C Prunty, N Connors; M O'Brien, T de Burca, M Walsh; K Moran, S Roche; TJ Foran, M Kearney, J Prendergast; T Ryan, S Bennett, P Curran. Subs: C Dunford for Kearney (ht), M Walsh for de Burca (ht), B Power for Prendergast (53), M Shanahan for Foran (64)

Ref: Colum Cunning (Antrim)