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All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers Round 1 – Waterford 2-22 Laois 1-15

June 28, 2014 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Waterford defeated Laois by 2-22 to 1-15 in Round 1 of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers on Saturday June 28th at Walsh Park Waterford.

Match Report: Shane Walsh struck two goals as @WaterfordGAA eased past @CLGLaois in Round 1 of the Hurling Qualifiers:http://t.co/l7bRSfY1hp

— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 28, 2014

Walsh brace helps Waterford ease past Laois

GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1: Waterford 2-22 Laois 1-15

Report from the GAA.ie web site

Waterford have beaten Laois comfortably by ten points in this evening’s All-Ireland SHC Round 1 Qualifier at Walsh Park. 5,025 spectators watched Derek McGrath’s hosts bounce back from their Munster SHC semi-final defeat to Cork with a big win. Pauric Mahony scored eleven points, including ten frees, and Shane Walsh bagged a brace of first half goals for the winners.

Willie Hyland struck five points for Laois in an excellent individual display but it wasn’t enough as Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett’s Leinster side bowed out of the championship. And yet it was Laois who got off to a brilliant start with just 57 seconds on the watch when Neil Foyle netted from close range following a goalkeeping error.

Walsh’s first goal in the tenth minute levelled the match at 1-2 apiece as wind-assisted Waterford dragged themselves back into contention. Walsh struck again in the 22nd minute and Waterford tagged on another five points to lead by 2-10 to 1-5 at the break. The teams were level at 1-5 each before Waterford roared into life with a scoring blitz.

A brace of points after half-time from Hyland hinted at a Laois revival but Waterford hit back to establish their biggest lead of the game. McGrath’s men were eleven points ahead, 2-17 to 1-9, before five points without reply from Laois cut the deficit back to six. Waterford, with Kevin Moran in excellent form throughout, needed a score and that man Mahony stopped the rot with two converted frees. Waterford cruised from there until the finish and in truth, the winning margin could have been more as ten of their 15 wides were registered before half-time. And Jake Dillon, scorer of three points from play, saw his goalbound shot brilliantly diverted over the crossbar by Eoin Reilly in the second half.
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Scorers for Waterford: P Mahony 0-11 (10f), S Walsh 2-1, J Dillon 0-3, G O’Brien 0-2, D Fives, A Gleeson, C Dunford, S Prendergast & K Moran 0-1 each.
Scorers for Laois: W Hyland 0-5, N Foyle 1-0, M Whelan (2 65s), S Maher (2f), R King (2f) & J Purcell 0-2 each, J Campion & C Dwyer 0-1 each.

WATERFORD: S O’Keeffe; S Fives, L Lawlor, P Prendergast; D Fives, M Walsh, T de Burca; K Moran, S O’Sullivan; J Dillon, P Mahony, A Gleeson; R Donnelly, S Walsh, C Dunford
Subs: S Prendergast for Donnelly (31), G O’Brien for Gleeson (51), M O’Neill for S Walsh (64), J Nagle for O’Sullivan (67), R Foley for D Fives (68).

LAOIS: E Reilly; J.A. Delaney, B Campion, B Stapleton; J Fitzpatrick, M Whelan, T Delaney; D Palmer, P Purcell; J Campion, W Hyland, S Maher; N Foyle, C Dwyer, T Fitzgerald
Subs: J Walsh for J Campion, D Maher for Stapleton (both half-time), C Collier for Palmer (41), J Purcell for P Purcell (51), R King for Maher (54).

Referee: A Kelly (Galway)
***
Report: Jackie Cahill

All-Ireland Hurling Championship Round 1 Previews: @WaterfordGAA v @CLGLaois; @ClubAontroma v @Offaly_GAA: http://t.co/4RGbDx0aK5 #gaa

— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 27, 2014

Team News

Waterford SH Team to play Laois on Saturday at 7pm in Walsh Park. Please show your support. Home venue! http://t.co/Gy4L3GbsEY

— Waterford GAA (@WaterfordGAA) June 26, 2014

1. Stephen O Keeffe (Ballygunner)
2. Shane Fives (Carrigtwohill)
3. Liam Lawlor (Fourmilewater)
4. Noel Connors (Passage)
5. Darragh Fives (Tourin)
6. Michael Walsh (Stradbally, capt)
7. Tadgh Burke (Clashmore / Kinsalebeg)
8. Kevin Moran (De La Salle)
9. Shane O’Sullivan (Ballygunner)
10. Jake Dillon (De La Salle)
11. Pauric Mahony (Ballygunner)
12. Austin Gleeson (Mount Sion)
13. Ryan Donnelly (Dungarvan)
14. Shane Walsh (Fourmilewater)
15. Colin Dunford (Colligan)

Laois: E Reilly; J Delaney, B Campion, B Stapleton; J Fitzpatrick, M Whelan, T Delaney; D Palmer, J Walsh; J Campion, W Hyland, S Maher; N Foyle, C Dwyer, T Fitzgerald.