Mount Leinster Rangers 0-18 Camross 0-13
The All Ireland club finalists of 2014, Mount Leinster Rangers produced a flurry of late scores to get the better of Laois champions Camross in O’Moore Park in Portlaoise.
Camross were reduced to 14 men early in the second half following the sending off of wing-back Darrell Dooley but the Laois men trailed by only a point with six minutes remaining. Mount Leinster Rangers finished strongly though and hit five excellent points in injury time to finally settle this contest.
Camross played with the wind in the opening half and although they went into an early lead, Mount Leinster Rangers were 0-6 to 0-5 up at the break.
They hit three quick points at the start of the second half and before a straight red card to Dooley in the 36th minute left Camross pressed on the ropes.
However the loss of key forward Denis Murphy to a hamstring injury slowed down the Carlow side’s charge and they saw their lead evaporate in the final quarter.
Zane Keenan, Mark Dowling, Niall Holmes and Damien Keenan all found their range to drag Camross back into the game, but scores from brilliant substitute Ted Joyce as well as Chris Nolan, Derek and Diarmuid Byrne and Paul Coady helped Mount Leinster Rangers over the line.
MOUNT LEINSTER RANGERS: F Foley (0-1,f); W Hickey, R Kelly, M Doyle; E Coady, D Phelan, G Kelly; Diarmuid Byrne (0-1), R Coady; P Coady (0-2), J Murphy, E Byrne; D Murphy (0-6, 4f), C Nolan (0-4, 1f), K McDonald. Subs: T Joyce (0-3) for E Byrne (36 mins), Derek Byrne (0-1) for D Murphy (38 mins), J Coady (0-1) for J Murphy (45), G Lawlor for E Coady (55)
CAMROSS: T Doran; M Phelan, M Burke, J Phelan; D Dooley, G Burke, D Keenan (0-1); D Delaney (0-1), D Duggan; Z Keenan (0-8, 6f), T Burke, L Burke; N Holmes (0-2), M Dowling (0-1), C Collier. Subs: A Collier for Delaney (40), M Moloney for Duggan (45), A Mortimer for Dowling (54), M Collier for M Phelan (55)
Referee: J Owens (Wexford)
