All Ireland SHC qualifiers:Limerick and Wexford both advanced to the next round of the qualifiers, with victories over Antrim and Carlow respectively, despite giving vastly contrasting performances.
Limerick defeated Antrim by 8-26 to 1-15 at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. The landslide of goals started in the very first minute when Sean Tobin scored, and further strikes from Shane Dowling (2) and Niall Moran inside the first 10 minutes seemed to end the game as a contest.
Antrim produced some decent hurling in the 15 minutes before the break, despite a Graeme Mulcahy goal, and the gap at half-time was 5-7 to 0-13. But Limerick just opened their shoulders again after the break and further goals from Mulcahy and two from Dowling – who finished the day with an astonishing 4-8 – closed out an easy win.
It was a different story in the day’s other tie as 200/1 outsiders Carlow turned in a terrific performance against Wexford. Despite playing against a strong breeze in the first half, Carlow only trailed by three points at the break – 1-7 to 0-7 – and prompted Wexford manager Liam Dunne into a number of early changes.
Those switches eventually paid off in the second half with the more clinical finishing of the Slaneysiders ultimately proving the difference between the sides, as goals from Rory Jacob (2), Jack Guiney and Gary Moore helped them to a 4-12 to 0-14 win.
Results – All-Ireland SHC qualifiers, Phase One: Limerick 8-26 Antrim 1-15; Wexford 4-12 Carlow 0-14