Ruthless Wexford sweep aside Carlow challenge

Wexford ran out convincing winners of this Leinster senior hurling championship round four tie with a ruthless display which swept last year's Joe McDonagh Cup winners aside at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday.

In the opening exchanges, the home side were the authors of their own misfortune. Even though Rory O’Connor opened the scoring with a point for Wexford, Richie Coady and Chris Nolan, also raised white flags to put Carlow in front.

Then it all went wrong. When Carlow keeper, Brian Tracey had his attempted clearance blocked down, Conor McDonald stroked the sliotar home.

As Wexford upped the ante, a series of Carlow mistakes gifted possession back to the Model County and they punished Carlow severely.

The entire starting full-forward line all featured on the scoreboard for Wexford in the first half while Lee Chin continued to demonstrate that he is one of the finest hurlers in the land. He amassed 0-9 in the opening period from both placed balls and play.

Rory O’Connor also prospered with four points from play while McDonald added two points to his three-pointer.

The Carlow goal was well taken when Paddy Boland won a tussle for possession, off-loaded to Conor Kehoe and he fired into the bottom left-hand corner of the net on 25 minutes.

Marty Kavanagh missed two frees which he would normally score, but the Carlow forward atoned with a brace before the half-time whistle. Ahead 1-21 to 1-7 at the interval, Wexford had the points in the bag.

It was all about how Carlow would react or whether the eventual winners would rub the expected victory in with an even more powerful display in the second half.

It was a little bit of both as it transpired.

By the end all the Wexford substitutes featured on the scoreboard and when Chin left