Allianz Hurling League Division 1B – Cork 0-14 Laois 0-7

Cork defeated Laois by 0-14 to 0-7 in round 2 of the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B on Saturday February 22nd at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise.

Division IB: Cork hold off battling Laois

Report from the GAA.ie web site

Allianz Hurling League Division IB: Laois 0-7 Cork 0-14

Cork were given some nervous moments in the second half, but an eight-point interval lead, despite shooting 10 wides was enough to see them home against an ever-improving Laois unit on Saturday night. Alan Cadogan and the returning Seamus Harnedy were dangerous up front for the Leesiders, with the latter’s aerial threat and eye for a score notable on his return to the side from injury.

Laois did have much more of the territory in the second half but lacked enough of a cutting edge to avail of it. Eoin Reilly missed a 28th minute penalty and apart from that, their best chance of a goal came just after Stephen Moylan had gotten the Leesiders’ opening second half score in the 49th minute. Reilly launched the resultant puckout that landed inside the opposition 14m line. King ran in behind the cover and the sliotar hopped perfectly in his path but the shot from his first-time pull flashed across the face of the posts.

Christopher Joyce had Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s crew in front after just nine seconds and within a couple of minutes, Pat Horgan (free) and Cadogan had added to that tally. Stephen Maher converted a free at the other end very quickly but Cork had six of the next seven points, with a Maher free splitting two three-point bursts. Harnedy and Horgan had two points each from that tally and when William Egan drove off his left, from just inside the 65 and tight to the sideline, it was 0-9 to 0-2. That was stretched to eight points by the interval (0-11 to 0-3).

Maher reduced the margin to six with two pointed frees soon after the resumption but that was as close as Laois got. Had King managed to find the net though, it would certainly have made for an interesting conclusion. They never threatened the net again. It took them until the 53rd minute to register their first and only score from play – a fine effort by Fitzgerald – but Cork were always just doing enough. Cadogan was much quieter in the second half than initially, but he provided the last score after managing to find a rare amount of space and the win was secured.

***

Scorers for Cork: P Horgan 0-6 (5f); A Cadogan 0-3; S Harnedy 0-2; C Joyce, W Egan, S Moylan 0-1 each

Scorers for Laois: S Maher 0-6 (6f); T Fitzgerald 0-1

CORK: D McCarthy; S O’Neill, S McDonnell, C Spillane, L McLoughlin, C Joyce, W Egan, M Ellis, P Haughney, S Harnedy, J Coughlan, M O’Sullivan, A Cadogan, P Cronin, P Horgan. Subs: D Kearney for O’Sullivan (ht), S Moylan for Cronin (ht), R O’Shea for Harnedy (51), C McCarthy for Haughney (56).

LAOIS: E Reilly; JA Delaney, B Campion, B Stapleton, J Fitzpatrick, M Whelan, C Dunne, P Whelan, C Collier, C Dwyer, J Purcell, S Maher, T Fitzgerald, D Palmer, N Foyle. Subs: R King for Foyle blood (21-26), W Hyland for Purcell (34), King for Foyle (ht), J Campion for Dwyer (43), W Dunphy for Phelan (51).

REFEREE: C Browne (Galway)