Dublin champions Craobh Chiarain produced a powerful second-half display to overrun a spirited Longford Slashers side in the Leinster Club hurling first-round clash at foggy Michael Fay Park in Longford.

Given little chance of causing an upset, the home side put up a great show in the first half with midfielder Gareth Ghee particularly outstanding as he fired over six points, four from play. The Craobh Chiarain No 8 Connie Ring (a deserving winner of the AIB man-of-the-match award) also stood out in registering the same number of points (five frees) and the sides ended up deadlocked at the break, 0-7 to 0-7.

However, Chiarain's class and superior fitness told on the changeover as they eventually clicked into top gear and it was all over as a contest at the end of the third quarter, at which stage the Dublin kingpins had built up a very commanding 0-17 to 0-8 lead. The rampant Chiarains continued to dominate the exchanges, adding a further 2-4 to their emphatic tally in the final quarter. They now meet O'Loughlin Gaels in the quarter-final in two weeks' time.