Leinster
Meath opened their U20 Leinster championship defence with a Group 1 victory over Dublin at Ashbourne.
A powerful run from Dublin's Luke O’Byrne saw Joe Quigley played in and he blasted to the back of the net for the only goal of the half, but it was the Royals that held a slender half-time lead, 0-11 to 1-07 with Jamie Murphy picking off 0-04 and Michael McIvor and John Harkin notching two-pointers.
Murphy’s 52nd-minute penalty nudged the Royals back in front and they managed the game out well, Murphy’s late two-pointer ensuring a 1-22 to 1-18 success.
Kildare enjoyed a facile 21-point win away to Laois. The hosts registered their first point of the game at Laois Hire O’Moore Park with the final score of the first half, by which time the Lilywhites had already racked up 1-11.
Second-half goals from Jay O’Brien (penalty) and Fintan Quinn ensured a miserable night for the home side as Kildare ran out 3-18 to 0-06 winners.
At Faithful Fields, Westmeath proved too strong Offaly.
It took the visitors 10 minutes to get off the mark through a fisted goal from Peter Murphy, but from there they never relinquished the lead.
Finn Duffy was prominent for the victors throughout, his two-pointer coming up to the half-time whistle pushing the lead to 10 points.
Offaly kept plugging away but were always kept at arm’s length. Ciarán Bracken’s injury-time two-pointer put a better gloss on the scoreboard as Westmeath won 1-17 to 0-14
Louth’s propensity to find the back of the net was the cornerstone to their Group 2 victory at home to Longford.
First-half goals from Adam Gillespie and Shane Lennon set them on their way, while two more after the break courtesy of Gillespie, again, and DD Reilly with the final score of the game, saw the Wee County take the win on a 4-16 to 1-15 scoreline.
It a tense finale at Netwatch Cullen Park, Wexford edged out Carlow in their Group 3 fixture.
Rory Gilbert’s first-half goal gave the Yellowbellies a five-point cushion at the interval and appeared to be cruising to victory when the same player punched over the bar as Wexford led 2-09 to 0-09.
Despite going down to 14 men after a black card, the hosts dug in, with Liam Gavin landing successive two-pointers as the clock entered the red. Trailing by two points, Carlow tried to work another score from outside the arc, but couldn’t get the all-important score to deny Wexford the win.
Ulster
Donegal hammered Antrim in tonight's U20 Ulster Championship encounter at Dunsilly, running out 3-23 to 0-02 winners.
Finn Coll hit the back of the net after four minutes and it was one-way traffic throughout as Donegal added another to lead 2-11 to 0-02 at the break.
Antrim would miss a penalty after the break and were unable to add to their paltry total in the second half as Donegal won the contest by 30 points.
It was another one-sided affair at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds as the hosts, Armagh, were well beaten 2-24 to 0-13 by an impressive Derry unit.
Two goals inside the opening eight minutes from Eamon Young - pictured above - saw the Foylesiders take a commanding lead, which they maintained throughout the opening period, leading by 17 points at the break.
Armagh showed some grit to get to double digits, however, Derry would match them score for score throughout the second period and maintained that 17-point difference at the final whistle.
Monaghan and Cavan played out an entertaining 1-10 to 0-13 draw in their clash at Grattan Park.
Bobby McCaul’s first-half goal looked to have set Monaghan in control of the tie and the Farney men enjoyed a five-point half-time lead.
But Cavan clawed their way back into the contest to set up a thrilling finish to the game as the sides were level heading into added time.
Lorcan Reilly looked to have won if for Cavan as he nudged his side ahead in the closing minutes, however, Max McGinnity hit a vital point with one minute of added time remaining as it ended level.
Tyrone went full tilt at Fermanagh in the remaining Ulster clash at O’Neill Park, winning 6-26 to 0-06.
Early goals from Ruairi McCullagh and Conan Devlin helped the Red Hands race into a ten-point lead, which Fermanagh would not recover from.
Goals either side of the break from Liam Óg Mossey and Fiachra Nelis, and two late goals saw the relentless Tyrone side assert their intentions, eventually running out 38-point winners.
Connacht
Mayo got the better of neighbours Galway at Tuam Stadium in the second round of the U20 Connacht championship, where there were 15 survivors (eight for Galway and 7 from Mayo) from the respective minor teams that started the 2022 All-Ireland minor final.
There was little between the sides at the interval – a Josh Carey goal helping the visitors to a two-point lead at the break, 1-09 to 1-07, and that was the gap that remained at the full-time whistle after an eventful second half.
A Tom Lydon goal 10 minutes from the end immediately cancelled out a Tribes goal to level matters while a two-pointer from Darragh Beirne - pictured above - proved to be the match-winning and final score.
At Dr Hyde Park, hosts Roscommon bounced back from an opening round defeat to Mayo to record a convincing 1-16 to 0-10 win over Sligo.
The Rossies first score was a green flag courtesy of John Curran after just five minutes, and that proved to be the difference between the sides at the break, 1-06 to 0-06 as the visitors reeled off the final three points of the half.
It took the Yeats County 10 minutes to register their first score of the second half through Robert O'Kelly Lynch, by which time Roscommon had added four points to their tally.
From there the result was never in real doubt, Roscommon closing out the contest with five unanswered points.
Munster U20 Hurling Championship
Cork and Clare had to settle for a share of the spoils in their opening-round clash in the Munster U20 hurling championship.
The Banner made the quicker start at Sixmilebridge, with Sean Boyce to the fore early doors as they claimed three of the first four points.
Boyce's ninth-minute goal gave a little more breathing space, but the Rebels raised a green flag of their own through John Wigginton Barrett ten minutes before the break. A booming score from Clare’s Diarmuid Stritch was the final score of the half to help his team to a three-point lead as the sides made their way to the dressing rooms.
With scores at a premium, two frees from Barry Walsh - pictured above - brought Cork to within a point after 14 minutes of the second half and from that point on there was never more than the bare minimum between the sides.
A Jack O’Neill point two minutes from time looked like the decisive score, but there was still time for Walsh – who ended the game with half a dozen points, 11 of which were placed balls – to draw the sides level.
In a tempestuous final quarter, Cork's Ben Walsh (second yellow) and Barry O'Flyn, along with Clare's Fred Hegarty were given their respective marching orders.
