Minor & U20 Hurling: Recap on Latest Leinster Championship Games.
Written by Laois PR Team
Well done to our inter county Minor and U20 Hurling teams who both won their recent Leinster Championship games of: Minor Leinster Preliminary Quarter Final win over Offaly and U20 Leinster Quarter Final win over Wexford.
The very best of luck to both teams in their next Leinster knock out stage games.
What’s next:
Minor Leinster Hurling Quarter Final: Laois vs Wexford this Saturday May 10th at 12pm in Laois Hire O’Moore Park.
Minor tickets: https://www.universe.com/events/electric-ireland-leinster-mhc-q-final-laois-v-wexford-tickets-3ZYD01
U20 Leinster Hurling Semi Final: Laois vs Kilkenny (at home in Laois Hire O’Moore Park) at 7.30pm on Wednesday May 14th.
U20 Tickets:
Minor Leinster Hurling Championship: Preliminary Quarter Final vs Offaly last Saturday May 3rd.
Laois: 7-23
Offaly: 0-13
Laois scorers: Daniel Jones 3-1, Tom Og Phelan (0-4 frees) and Eoin Delaney 1-6 each, Conor Headen 1-3, Dan Downey 1-0, Matt Cunningham and Dan Whelan 0-2 each, Oisin Gilligan, Tony Mahony and LJ Cuddy 0-1 each.
Laois subs: Frank McGovern for Callum Jones, Oisin Gilligan for Aaron Fitzpatrick and LJ Cuddy for Daniel Jones (all 40), CJ Brennan for Conor Headen (50) Conor McDonagh for Tom Og Phelan (54, blood), Luke Hynes for Eoin Holland (55)
Standout Players (Laois)
In attack:
Daniel Jones (3-1) produced a man of the match perfomance: with top goal scoring form as he achieved a hat trick.
Tom Og Phelan (1-6, 4 frees) was massively instrumental in aiding Daniel Jones all game and Phelan’s hard work rate deserves equal credit to Jone’s stellar attacking perfomance. Both players performances combined was key to the Laois win, as Jones pace won frees in for Phelan to convert too.
2 goals from Daniel Jones were directly set up with incredibly accurate long and high balls in from Tom Og Phelan, and Jones finished the moves in style with 2 superb strikes to the back of net. Phelan and Jones linked up again: this time setting up a Conor Headen point from play. Daniel Jones hatrick goal was wondering teed up by Dan Downey.
Other goal scorers: Eoin Delaney (1-6), Conor Headen (1-3), Dan Downey (1-0)
In midfield:
Dan Downey was superb. Downey scored his goal from play after a massive long run from midfield, in which he beat 2 defenders on his way towards goal by flicking the ball over them Paddy Purcell style-to get by his markers and then struck a wonderful finish high into the middle of the net.
The next time Downey won possession from an Offaly puckout in his strong performance in which he dominated midfield for Laois, with another pacey long run into attack, he laid the ball off quickly and perfectly to nicely set up Daniel Jones hat trick after a quick one-two pass.
In defence:
Kyle Handcock was very strong defensively throughout. His tackle and turnover was the first massive defensive move of the game: which led to a Tom Og Phelan goal.
Kyle Handcock excellently won a good few Offaly puckouts in the 2nd half.
Kyle Handcock was very alert and quick to intercept the deflected loose ball in the box and pick up securely as a result of Laois goalkeeper’s Odhran Cuddy brilliant save from Offaly’s Odhran Fletcher’s great effort of a strike, from a 21 m free.
Kyle Handcock helped clear this dangerous lingering ball from the box, then vitally created again another successfull turnover that prevented an Offaly score and set up a Laois score.
U20 Leinster Hurling Championship: Quarter Final: Laois vs Wexford last Monday May 5th
Laois: 1-24
Wexford: 1-18
Laois scorers: Ben Deegan 0-10 (nine frees), Justin Duggan 1-3, Rory Kelly, Ruaidhri Kavanagh, Ross Deegan and Jack Breen 0-2 each, Joseph Pearson, Cormac Byrne and Jer Quinlan 0-1 each
Laois subs: Kevin Byrne for Cian Hill (HT), Oran Gorman for Rory Kelly (53), Evan Cassin for Ruardhi Kavanagh (56), Kyron Cuddy for Ross Deegan (60), Mark Downey (The Harps) for Justin Duggan (62)
Standout Players (Laois)
In defence:
Kevin Byrne was introduced at half time and proved a highly effective impact sub. Operating at left half back: he displayed his physical strength to win great possession and was strong both on and off the ball. Kevin Byrne was as solid as a rock defensively for the entirety of the 2nd half, blocking out Wexford attacks: and a great link through midfield and into attack too: as he ball carried effectively.
Equally as impressive in the Laois defence was: Joseph Pearson, who came out field to win possession on the Wexford puckout. He also made a tackle on Wexford’s David McCarthy, this directly led to point from play by Jack Breen.
In attack:
Ben Deegan (0-10, 9 from frees, 1 from play) was brilliant. He was highly accurate from both play and from frees, scores from all great angles, all of which came at vital times to extend Laois’ lead when Wexford were playing really well and putting Laois under pressure in the 1st 20 mins.
Ben Deegan’s calm response and hard work rate in attack however, helped extend Laois’ lead to an important 3 point lead cushion. Ben Deegan’s 4 scores (3 in a row in the 1st half) put Laois 6 pts ahead.
Wexford fought back with a goal and points to bring the deficit back to 1 at half time. But Laois’ stellar 2nd half performance helped seal the win.
Ben Deegan struck a massive long range free from midfield to open his 2nd half scoring.
Justin Duggan’s goal from play was outstanding, as he was under fierce defensive pressure both from his marker and the Wexford goalkeeper but Duggan successfully managed to strike for goal from a greatly acute angle. Justin Duggan’s next score a point from play was from long range and again a difficult tight angle, brilliantly on target again.
Ben Deegan’s next free curled over the bar from an tight angle also, after Cormac Byrne worked really hard to win the free in: with his dangerous pace going forward. Cormac Byrne’s pace set up Justin Duggan with another goal chance. Duggan pointed from play instead.
Cormac Byrne came out to intercept a long and low ball on the wing. With a quick turn to get by his marker, Byrne’s hand pass was perfectly layed off quickly into the hands of Ross Deegan for a Ross Deegan point from play: the result of a lovely team that began with an incredible Brochan O’Reilly puckout.
By Laois PRO Thu 8th May
