O'BYRNE CUP

Kildare 0-16 Carlow 1-6

Longford 0-9 Meath 1-5

MCKENNA CUP

Fermanagh 1-9 Ulster University 0-12

MUNSTER SHL (Friday)

Tipperary 4-14 Limerick 2-17

Kildare impressed in their first competitive match of the new season with a 0-16 to 1-6 victory over Carlow in the O’Byrne Cup match today.

The Lilywhites cut Turlough O’Brien’s team apart in the first half and led at the break by 0-11 to 0-2.

Darren Lunny gave Carlow some hope with a goal early in the second-half, but Kildare pushed on again and never looked like being caught.

A notable aspect of Kildare’s performance was the manner in which they had clearly worked hard on the tailoring their style of play to the experimental playing rules.

After the match team manager Cian O’Neill said he’s a fan of the new rules.

"I think they all have benefits," he told RTÉ Sport of the kickout, advanced mark, sin bin and handpass changes.

"Once I knew they were coming in I was excited and our whole management team was.

"We just felt 'it is what it is, let's be pragmatic and let's work hard at trying to coach the lads to working with the rules as opposed to giving out about them.

"I think we worked pretty well with the handpass rule. I've always been a fan of the offensive mark. I like the notion of using that to try and combat 13/14 men behind the ball.

"The sideline, not so much, I'm struggling to see the value of it.

"The sin bin is back in again and it's up to teams to be clever enough to maximise those 10 minutes if you're 15 v 14 and teams that suffer it to be defensively solid.

"I have no issues with the rules, we just have to learn to be better playing within them."

In today’s other O’Byrne Cup match, Longford made it two wins from two with a 0-9 to 1-5 victory over Meath.

In terrible playing conditions two late frees from Robbie Smyth made the difference.

Today’s three other scheduled O’Byrne Cup matches – Wicklow v Louth, Wexford v Laois, and Westmeath v Offaly – were all postponed due to the heavy wind and rain today.

In today’s solitary McKenna Cup match, Fermanagh and Ulster University played out a 1-9 to 0-12 draw.

A Conall Jones goal put Fermanagh six points up early in the second-half, but with the students fought back impressively and in the end claimed a share of the spoils thanks to a Lee Brennan equaliser.

On Friday, Tipperary defeated reigning All-Ireland SHC champions Limerick by 4-14 to 2-17 in the first round of the Munster Senior Hurling League.

Goals from Seamus Callanan (2) and Makr Kehoe helped Tipp in to a 3-6 to 0-11 half-time lead, and the Premier county moved seven ahead early in the second half when Patrick Maher struck for a fourth goal.

Limerick showed a lot of spirit to fight all the way to the end, but Tipperary just about held on for a three-point victory.