Group B

UL 3-29 DIT 4-17

Group D

IT CARLOW 1-22 MARY I 0-22

NUIG 2-21 TRINITY COLLEGE 0-13

Martin Kavanagh impressed for IT Carlow as they defeated reigning champions **Mary Immaculate **1-22 to 0-22 in the opening round of the Fitzgibbon Cup at Heywood in Laois.

It was the same pairing as in last year’s final where Mary I secured back-to-back titles with a 3-24 to 1-19 win at Pearse Stadium.

But despite the sending off of Mark Russell and a 0-14 to 1-10 half-time deficit IT Carlow prevailed with Richie Leahy’s goal the decisive score.

This game was rescheduled after IT Carlow’s grounds were deemed unplayable and the Limerick outfit began better as they ran up a 0-5 to 0-0 lead after nine minutes.

Goalkeeper Eoghan Cahill scored two of those points while Shane Taylor, Cian Lynch, and Luke Meade also hit the target.

But Kavanagh scored IT Carlow’s first point from a free in the ninth minute and Leahy scored their goal in the 21st minute, after he burst in from the right and finished low past Cahill.

Kavanagh hit five points in the first-half to keep IT Carlow in the game and even though Russell got a straight red for an off-the-ball incident involving David Prendergast, IT Carlow grew in confidence.

Charles Dwyer took over, and ended the game with six points while Kavanagh score the final point late on.

Tipperary’s Jason Forde scored 1-9 for** UL** and they hammered DIT 3-29 to 4-17 at the 4G Pitch in UL.

Forde and Pat Ryan scored early goals and UL dominated the first-half. DIT did score 2-3 without reply at the start of the second-half, and Niall O’Brien finished with 1-9.

Patrick Maher registered 2-1 and Derek McNicholas also scored a goal for the men from Dublin, but John McGrath scored 1-1 as UL began in style.

In the other game NUIG cruised to a 2-21 to 0-13 victory over Trinity in Abbottstown.

John Fox scored the opening goal after just eight seconds, and Galway All-Ireland winner Cathal Mannion provided the pass for Darragh Burke’s second goal before half-time.

NUIG held a 2-10 to 0-11 advantage at the interval and held their opponents to just two points in the second-half.