WEXFORD PILE ON LAOIS AGONY

WEXFORD went goal crazy in the second half to beat Laois by 27 points in O’Moore Park for their first win of this year’s Leinster championship. On a miserable day there was little to separate the sides in the opening half with only four points between them at the 30-minute mark. Conor McDonald’s 14th minute goal and six points from Lee Chin helped them to a 1-10 to 0-7 lead at half-time. All of Laois’s scores in the opening half came from frees – six from PJ Scully and one from goalkeeper Enda Rowland. But Wexford began to open up a gap in the second half and things caved in for Laois in the 50th minute when defender Fiachra C Fennell was sent off. Wexford got their second goal moments later from Rory O’Connor, keeper Mark Fanning drilled home two penalties before sub Kevin

Foley got one late on. Wexford are up against Westmeath the next day out while Laois an increasingly confident Galway. WEXFORD: M Fanning; S Donohue, L Ryan, C Devitt (K Foley, 60); P Foley, D Reck, M O’Hanlon; D O’Keeffe (C Dunbar, 66), L Og McGovern; L Chin (P Morris, 60), J O’Connor, C McGuckin (C Flood, 45); R O’Connor, C McDonald, C Hearne (M Dwyer, 50). SCORERS: L Chin 0-7 (4f, 1 ‘65), Mark Fanning 2-1 (2-0 penalties, 0-1f), R O’Connor 1-3, C McDonald 1-2, D O’Keeffe 1-1, K Foley 1-0, L Og McGovern 0-2, D Reck, M O’Hanlon, C Flood, C Devitt and J O’Connor 0-1 each. LAOIS: E Rowland; D Hartnett, S Downey, FC Fennell; C McEvoy, L O’Connell, R Mullaney; J Kelly, J Keyes; C Dwyer (B McGinley, 62), W Dunphy (C Byrne, 53), P Purcell (C Phelan, 69); B Conroy (J Lennon, 58), PJ Scully, M Dowling (A Corby, HT). SCORERS: PJ Scully 0-8 (all frees), E Rowland (free), R Mullaney, A Corby and B McGinley 01 each. REFEREE: C Cunning (Antrim).