All Ireland Hurling Qualifier Round 1

Clare 5-32 Laois 0-12

By Daragh Small at Cusack Park, Ennis

Tony Kelly led from the front for Clare as they eased into Round 2 of the All-Ireland qualifiers with a 35-point victory over Laois at Cusack Park in Ennis.

The 2013 All-Ireland champions won the Allianz Hurling League, but were dumped out of the Munster Championship by Waterford at the semi-final stage.

After losses against Cork and Wexford in the qualifiers in recent years Clare will hope to gain momentum.

Clare had already defeated Laois in the league this year, and Davy Fitzgerald’s men led comfortably by 2-14 to 0-5 at half-time before they opened up and killed off the Laois challenge completely in the second-half.

Laois had given Galway trouble in Leinster last year, but this term they have been poor and following a pointless league campaign, Offaly ended their provincial campaign early.

They were huge underdogs coming into this tie and when Ben Conroy got a red card, after two yellows in the 27th minute there was no way back – Charles Dwyer followed him in the second-half.

They had only trailed by 1-5 to 0-3 after 18 minutes, Dwyer gave Laois the lead inside the opening minutes after they chose to play with the wind in the first-half.

But Kelly replied straight away and then Shane O’Donnell scored Clare’s first goal in the sixth minute, but still Laois remained competitive.

Goalkeeper Enda Rowland landed a huge free, and PJ Scully scored another, but Kelly was in scintillating form and he hit two points, while Podge Collins and John Conlon also found their range.

Willie Dunphy hit back as Laois continued to take the fight but after Neil Foyle scored an inspirational point in the 25th minute, Laois fell apart.

Conroy was sent-off and Clare scored 1-7 in the remained of the first-half, with eight more unanswered scored at the start of the second-half.

When Willie Hyland eventually stopped the rot for Laois, they trailed 2-22 to 0-6, 11 minutes into the second-half.

There would be no miraculous comeback for Laois, instead Shanagher, who had scored their second goal in the first-half, hit the net in the 15th and 16th minutes of the second-half.

Laois did hit three points in a row from Charles Dwyer, Enda Rowland and substitute Mark Kavanagh but Clare were becoming more and more rampant.

On their most recent championship outing in Ennis Laois suffered a 1-32 to 0-15 defeat, and this would become so much worse.

Cathal O’Connell, who replaced star man Kelly, went on to score five points, four from frees and Podge Collins got the other goal as Clare romped to a massive win.

Scorers for Clare: A Shanagher 3-1, T Kelly 0-10 (3fs), P Collins 1-3, S O’Donnell 1-3, C O’Connell 0-5 (4fs), D McInerney 0-3, C Galvin 0-2, J Conlon 0-2, C Cleary 0-2, S Golden 0-1.

**Scorers for Laois: **W Hyland 0-3 (3f), E Rowland 0-2 (2fs), C Dwyer 0-2, PJ Scully 0-1 (1f), W Dunphy 0-1, N Foyle 0-1, M Kavanagh 0-1, M Whelan 0-1.

Clare: A Fahy; C Dillon, O O’Brien, P O’Connor; J Browne, D McInerney, B Bugler; C Cleary, D Reidy; C Galvin, P Collins, J Conlon; T Kelly, S O’Donnell, A Shanagher.

Subs: D Fitzgerald for McInerney (43), S Morey for Cleary (43), C O’Connell for Kelly (48), S Golden for Reidy (52), C Ryan for Conlon (55).

Laois: E Rowland; R Mullaney, D Palmer, C Healy; M Whelan, L Bergin, P Purcell; J Lennon, B Conroy; C Dwyer, PJ Scully, C Stapleton; N Foyle, W Dunphy, W Hyland.

Subs: R King for Bergin (9), P Lawlor for Healy (28), M Kavanagh for Scully (41), D Maher for Stapleton (49), J Phelan for Dunphy (58).

Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath).