Gaelic Games

Kildare, Sligo, Fermanagh and Down top groups and secured Tailteann Cup home quarter-finals

Longford exit competition after two goals from Stephen Curry help Waterford to impressive win

The Tailteann Cup. Seven points from Daragh Kirwan made the difference as Kildare defeated Leitrim 1-16 to 0-12 in the competition. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
The Tailteann Cup. Seven points from Daragh Kirwan made the difference as Kildare defeated Leitrim 1-16 to 0-12 in the competition. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Paul Fitzpatrick
Sun Jun 02 2024 - 19:46

Kildare, Sligo, Fermanagh and Down topped their groups and secured home quarter-finals as the Tailteann Cup begins to heat up.

Seven points from Daragh Kirwan made the difference as Kildare defeated Leitrim by 1-16 to 0-12. Niall Kelly’s goal helped the Lilywhites lead by six at the break; Leitrim cut the gap to two, but Kildare hit the final six points to ease home.

Danny Neville and Paul Maher hit the net in the first half as Limerick defeated London by 2-14 to 0-10 at Parnell Park to secure their passage to the preliminary quarter-finals. The Treaty were 2-8 to 0-6 up at the break, with Cathal Downes chipping in with 0-4 from play. Jimmy Lee’s side held London to 0-4 in the second half to see it out.

Longford exited the competition after two goals from Stephen Curry helped Waterford to an impressive 4-12 to 1-16 win in Portlaoise.

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Elsewhere, Tipperary did it the hard way as they needed a 75th minute goal from Stephen Grogan to help them see off Wexford by 3-5 to 0-12 in Carlow. Sean Nolan was outstanding as Wexford dominated possession but they squandered a lot of chances and an understrength Tipperary, who led 2-1 to 0-6 at half time, snatched it.

Fermanagh ran out 3-11 to 2-13 winners over Laois thanks to two goals from Callum Jones and one from Conor McShea. Evan O’Carroll rattled the net to give a slow-starting Laois the lead midway through the first half but within a minute Jones blasted home at the other end and McShea’s goal made it 2-4 to 1-6 at half time. A Mark Barry penalty ensured a nervy finale but Fermanagh held on to book a home quarter-final.

Oisin McConville’s Wicklow dug deep to advance as they scored the final four points against 14-man Carlow to run out 0-15 to 1-9 victors. NFL trialist Mark Jackson returned to the team and hit the opening point but Carlow led 0-6 to 0-5 at half time and were well in it when Eric Molloy goaled but Christopher O’Brien and Padraig O’Toole scored 0-2 each on the run-in to seal it for Wicklow.

Down had 15 different scorers as they dismissed Offaly by 2-22 to 3-13 at Kingspan Breffni. This dead rubber was wide open as the scoreline indicates, with the Mourne men kicking 0-16 in a first half in which they registered just a single wide against an Offaly side who were reduced to 14 when midfielder Eoin Carroll picked up a red card early in the second half.

Finally, three late points from Antrim’s Ryan McQuillan, Conor Hand and Michael Byrne saw them snatch a draw, 0-20 apiece, against Sligo but the Yeats men still topped the group on score difference.

The draw for the preliminary quarter-finals (first named team at home) is Leitrim v Wicklow, Laois v New York, Limerick v Tipperary and Antrim v London.