Galway 3-10 Wexford 1-10 So much of this National Hurling League remains a mystery. Take Galway and Wexford, the new models of inconsistency. Yesterday they baffled again, and this time as to how two teams could pack so much poor hurling into a 70-minute game.

Both counties now need lightning to strike repeatedly to reach the league final - even with the strange results elsewhere yesterday. More likely, they'll spend the remaining few weeks trying to establish some stability, because the rain coming in off Salthill fooled no one. Summer days aren't far off now.

For Galway, the big problem was keeping the scoreboard ticking over. They buried two goals in the last two minutes of the first half. Then went 25 minutes without scoring again. In truth only a late flourish of points earned them the win.

Wexford started brightly and from there went downhill. Their problems were more widespread, in that even their better players faded towards the end. This, too, from the team that beat Offaly by 14 points last time out.

Just as well only around 2,000 showed up. For long periods it was like watching a match on TV with the sound turned down. And in the press box the conversation invariably drifted elsewhere. Paula Radcliffe, two hours 15 minutes . . . really?

No surprise then that both managers talked about the difficulties in getting their team to put together 70 minutes of good hurling. Galway's Conor Hayes was particularly forthright.

"We just didn't hurl with any great consistency. I was very disappointed with the second half where we didn't score for maybe 25 minutes. And we hit far too many wides. Just bad shooting."

In fact Galway hit 15 wides, compared to seven for Wexford. Worse still, the Galway forward line was near full strength. Ollie Fahy, Cathal Moore, David Forde and later Kevin Broderick had target problems throughout, and without the hard work of Damien Hayes and Richie Murray would have been even more anonymous.

Ollie Canning - flawless at corner back - was again their high point, leaving Hayes a little confused about where the priorities should now lie.

"Our defence did quite well, and were generally in control. We're trying out a lot of players, but the back line is taking a bit of shape. We actually thought the forwards would be, but they're still not clicking.

"And I suppose we did alright in spasms. If we could keep those spells up for longer I suppose we'd be a lot better off. And we won, which is the main thing."

His counterpart, John Conran, was equally sure of where Wexford need to improve. "We do need to work on our concentration. We still want to beat Clare and beat Kilkenny in those next two games, and prepare for the championship. We will certainly learn a lot more from those games."

For the opening quarter-hour Wexford were doing all the hurling. Rory McCarthy established his dominance at midfield and Liam Dunne sparkled too, and they soon went into a 1-3 to 0-3 lead, the goal coming from Rory Jacob on five minutes.

Galway's cause wasn't helped when Mark Kerins went off injured after 20 minutes (with an ankle injury that will sideline him for several weeks) and they struggled to score. David Tierney finally found some space for their first goal on 23 minutes, and when Forde and Murray followed with two more just before the break they were suddenly up 3-5 to 1-6.

Then came the feasts and famines of the second half. All six Galway forwards fell asleep, and when Wexford got to within a point with 10 minutes remaining - mostly notably through Paul Codd's free-taking - it appeared the tide had turned again.

Gradually, though, Galway regained control, and the introduction of Alan Kerins certainly helped.

So as both teams progress towards the summer months much uncertainty remains.

"Well I think today was typical of what we've been like all winter," added Hayes. "Very good at times, and just not performing for the rest of it. And that, standing on the sideline, is very frustrating."

GALWAY: L Donoghue; D Joyce, T Og Regan, O Canning; F Healy, D O'Brien, B Mahony; R Gantley (0-3, two frees), R Murray (1-1); D Tierney (1-0), C Moore (0-2), D Hayes (0-1); O Fahy (0-2), M Kerins (0-1), D Forde (1-0). Subs: K Broderick for Kerins (21mins, inj), K Burke for Tierney (52 mins), A Kerins for Forde (60 mins).

WEXFORD: D Fitzhenry; D Guiney, D O'Connor, R Mallon; D Stamp, D Ruth, L Dunne; A Fenlon (0-1, a sideline), R McCarthy (0-1); P Codd (0-4, all frees), D Berry (0-1), B Goff (0-2); C McGrath, R Jacob (1-1), M Jordan. Subs: C Kehoe for Guiney (14 mins, inj), M Tavers for Kehoe (30 mins, inj), B Lambert for McGrath (44 mins), MJ Furlong for Jordan (55 mins), L Murphy for Goff (67mins).

Referee: T McIntyre (Antrim).