Leinster U20 hurling wrap: Laois edge Westmeath in eight-goal extra-time thriller

A tight contest like this looked unlikely when Laois turned their first two attacks into goals

O'Moore Park, Portlaoise. File photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

At the weekend, the Leinster football championship was a rare bright spot in a sea of dull predictability. Last night six teams went into battle in the province’s U20 hurling championship and the quality of the action ranged from good, to memorable on a historic level.

By some distance, the most remarkable action was in Portlaoise, where the home side beat Westmeath 4-33 to 4-27 after extra time. A finish like this looked unlikely when Laois turned their first two attacks into goals by James Duggan and Gearóid Lynch, almost impossible when Laois led by 2-11 to 0-6 at the first half water break, and beyond the bounds of possibility when Duggan crashed in his second goal to make it 3-17 to 0-11 just 30 seconds into the second half.