Jack Sheridan continues to impress for Kildare. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Allianz Hurling League Division Two
Derry 1-27 Meath 1-23
Kildare 2-34 Tyrone 0-8
Kildare have one foot in the Allianz League Division Two final while Tyrone’s relegation to the third tier was confirmed in a one-sided encounter at Cedral St. Conleth’s Park this afternoon.
Aidan Kelly hit the first of his five converted frees to open the scoring, but Kildare quickly settled about their work and were 0-12 to 0-3 in front by the time Muiris Curtin hit the first goal of the game with 20 minutes played.
Jack Sheridan (1-5), James Burke (0-6), Curtin (1-3), as well as Rian Boran, Paul Dolan and Cian Boran (0-4 each) all racked up the scores while Tyrone managed just a solitary point from play over the course of the 70 minutes in Newbridge.
Without pucking a ball, Down are also in a better position, as promotion rivals Meath succumbed to a four-point defeat in Celtic Park, despite Jack Regan striking 0-13 for the Royals.
It was without doubt Derry’s best performance of the season, with lots of encouraging signs for the Oak Leaf county. Patrick Turner was exceptional in defence, Christy McNaughton scored a penalty and while Mikey Cole goaled for Meath to bring the margin back to a point, the home side had eight scorers by half-time and were full value for a 1-16 to 1-9 lead.
Meath got back to within four going into the final quarter and even were just a goal adrift a couple of times, but a freescoring Derry attack, aided by the return of Cormac O’Doherty for his first action of the year, always came up with the scores they needed to see out a huge win.
Allianz Hurling League Division Three
London 2-20 Sligo 0-18
Roscommon 1-19 Cavan 0-19
London and Sligo also know their fate in Division Three, as Saturday’s eight-point win for Neil Rogers’ home side in Ruislip extended their 100 per cent record and it also confirmed that Sligo will drop down to the bottom rung of the ladder in 2026.
Sligo have been much more competitive this Spring than a record of five consecutive defeats might indicate, and they hurled well for long stretches this contest in West London.
A superb finish from David Devine gave London a strong start and helped them to lead by five, but Sligo hung in with points from Thomas Cawley and Andrew Kilcullen and had a great chance to get right back in the game with a penalty awarded after 24 minutes played.
Mark Kilgallon’s save prevented Gerard O’Kelly Lynch from finding the net, not the only occasion where Kilgallon was crucial to London’s victory.
Sligo trailed by just two at half-time and were never out of sight, but a late goal from Devine brought his score to 2-7, and put a gloss on the scoreboard for the winners as well.
Cavan weren’t entirely out of the promotion mix before their trip to King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park today, but the Breffni men now have to look nervously downwards ahead of their final game against Armagh, following their 1-19 to 0-19 defeat in Roscommon.
Brendan Mulry’s goal gave Roscommon a dream start and Finn Killion was also on the mark with a fine score as the Rossies took a 1-4 to 0-1 lead, but Liam O’Brien kept Cavan in the hunt, pulling the lead back to three (1-12 to 0-12) at the interval.
The second half was tense and tight, with Nicky Kenny firing over three points from midfield, but it was only going into stoppage time when Cavan were able to get within two points, at which point Micheál Hussey hoisted over the last score to confirm Roscommon’s second win of the campaign.
Allianz Hurling League Division Four
Louth 0-22 Longford 2-8
Fermanagh 0-21 Leitrim 1-16
Lancashire 4-20 Monaghan 0-20
The tables could yet turn in the final round of games, but this afternoon’s local derby at Brewster Park between Fermanagh and Leitrim felt like a de facto promotion decider, and late points from Feargal McKiernan and Caolan Duffy put the home side in the driving seat in the race for promotion.
Fermanagh now lead Leitrim by a single point with both teams still due to play their final round of games, but with Fermanagh set to take on winless Warwickshire at Abbotstown, it would be real surprise if the Erne County are overtaken by their western neighbours.
The tension was palpable throughout the tie, with Leitrim getting two early points from Philip Burgess, but relying heavily on freetaker Joe Murray for the lion’s share of their scores after that.
Murray put his name on the goal with 27 minutes played but Fermanagh cancelled it out with the last three points of the half, including a second from wing back Francis McBrien.
Leitrim had a three-point lead with ten minutes to play, but Fermanagh produced their best hurling of the year so far when they needed it most, finishing up with seven points to get within touching distance of the league final.
Longford still had a chance to put themselves in the hunt, but they needed to win in Dowdallshill against the league leaders.
Micheál Mulcahy’s goal gave them a 1-7 to 0-7 half-time lead and some hope, and while Louth levelled things up with four of the first five points of the second half, a Martin Farrell penalty restored Longford’s advantage.
Louth were vastly superior in the final 20 minutes however, scoring 11 points on the bounce, with Darren Geoghagan ending the day with 0-12 (0-9f).
Lancashire picked up their first win of the year in Inniskeen in a contest that had no bearing on the promotion hunt.
Shane O’Boyle hit three goals and Pádraig Burke added a fourth, all in the opening quarter, as Lancashire took a 4-6 to 0-10 lead into the dressing room, with a slight breeze still to come.
Monaghan continued to work at it, getting 0-10 from Niall Arthur and 0-10 from the sticks of nine other players, but 0-5 each from Peter Boylan and Eoghan Clifford, all from play, ensured that Lancashire always had plenty to spare.
