Lower Tier Hurling Wrap: Offaly extend unbeaten run to 10 games with win over Down

Elsewhere in the Christy Ring Cup Tyrone defeated Mayo with the help of goals from Seán Duffin and Lorcan Devlin.

10 OF THE BEST: Brian Duignan, left and Jack Clancy of Offaly react after the Joe McDonagh Cup Round 2 match between Kildare and Offaly at Manguard Plus Kildare GAA Centre in Hawkfield, Kildare. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile

Without ever hitting the high notes, Offaly did what they needed to do in their Joe McDonagh Cup clash with Down at Glenisk O’Connor Park on Saturday.

They finished strongly to record a 1-26 to 1-15 win over the Mourne County to extend their unbeaten run in league and championship in 2023 out to ten consecutive games.

While the home side started well, moving into an 0-7 to 0-2 lead, they weren’t at the same pitch as last week and soon allowed an out-of-form Down side to work their way into the game.

Jordan Doran’s goal put the Ulster County 1-5 to 0-7 in front after 24 minutes and while Offaly added seven more points before half-time, there was just two between the sides, at 0-16 to 1-11, ten minutes into the second half. Eoghan Cahill (1-12, 0-7f) and Cillian Kiely (0-5) led the charge however as they powered on to win by 1-26 to 1-15.

In the only game that was played in the Christy Ring Cup on Saturday, a flicked goal from Seán Duffin and five Dermot Begley points gave Tyrone a narrow lead over Mayo at half-time in Castlebar.

But they would dominate the second half, with Lorcan Devlin adding their second goal as they cruised to a 2-21 to 1-17 win. London play host to Meath and Sligo will travel to Derry on Sunday afternoon.

In the Nickey Rackard Cup, Andy O’Brien’s goal helped Wicklow move eight points clear of Fermanagh at Ederney, but Luka McCusker hit the net for the home side after 40 minutes and they stayed in touch right up to the death, before losing out by 1-14 to 1-12.

In the other games, Roscommon blitzed Louth with goals at Darver and eventually hung on to win by 5-8 to 1-17, while at the Athletic Grounds, injury time goals from Gerry Gilmore and Conor Gartland made Donegal’s 3-20 to 1-16 victory over Armagh look a lot more emphatic than it was.

In the Lory Meaghar Cup, Seán Keating and Diarmuid Carney were the goalscorers in Cavan’s 2-16 to 0-19 home win over their neighbours, Monaghan, and Lancashire travelled to Carrick-on-Shannon and picked up a 4-15 to 1-15 win over Leitrim.