Despite trailing for most of the match, Leitrim came back against Carlow to claim a deserved win in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Paul Honeyman's two pointer on 44 minutes, which gave Leitrim the lead for the first time in the match, marked the turning point.
Aided by the breeze Carlow got off to the better start with Adam McCarron opening their account when he split the Leitrim uprights five minutes into the game from a two pointer placed ball.
Carlow continued to press forward with Paddy McDonnell and Conor Crowley adding a point each over the next five minutes. In response, Leitrim opened their account with a Honeyman goal chance which he blazed over the crossbar.
Padhraig Bolger kept Carlow in the driving seat when he hit the game's first two pointer from play which Leitrim's Ryan O'Rourke answered with a 16th minute point for the home side.
Ross Dunphy fired over for Carlow three minutes later and Leitrim responded with points from Ryan O'Rourke (free), Oisin McLoughlin and Mark Diffley to reduce the deficit with the visitors to 0-2 by the 28th minute mark.
Before the break Ross Dunphy fired over a two pointer for Carlow and Riordan O'Rourke hit back with a Leitrim point to leave Carlow leading 0-9 to 0-6 at the interval.
After the restart Carlow stretched their lead with a McCarron free tap over but Leitrim got on level terms by the 38th minute thanks to two pointers from Killian Gaffey (free) and Honeyman.
Within the space of another minute Honeyman whipped over another two pointer for Leitrim to put them ahead for the first time in the game. However, Carlow regained the lead two minutes later when Lee Walker finished in the Leitrim net.
Leitrim again surged ahead by the 55th minute thanks to two pointers by Gaffey (free) and Honeyman. Over the next five minutes Carlow reduced the deficit with Leitrim to the minimum after Paddy McDonnell and Bolger whipped a point apiece.
The home side then stretched their lead decisively in the closing minutes of the action with Gaffey converting two '45s' while Honeyman chipped in with two points and Conor Quinn added a point. Ross Dunphy answered with a late Carlow point.
Leitrim: Killian Gaffey 0-6 (0-2 '45' 0-4 2pf); Arek Oberwan; Conor Reynolds, Seán Harkin; Eoin McLoughlin, Mark Diffley 0-1, Keith Keegan 0-1; Conor Quinn 0-1, Kieran Clancy; Fergal McLoughlin, Ben Guckian, Riordan O'Rourke; Paul Honeyman 0-8 (0-62p), Ryan O'Rourke 0-2 f, Oisin McLoughlin 0-1. Subs: Jack Kelly for Guckian (59); Ruairi O'Rourke for F Mcloughlin (61); Eanna McNamara for Harkin (65); Tom Plunkett for O McLoughlin (66); James Rooney for E Mcloughlin (67).
Carlow: Ben McCarron; Niall Roche, Dara Curran, Lee Moore; John Phiri, Mark Furey, Padhraig Bolger; Aaron Amond, Aaron McCarron 0-3 2pf;, Paddy McDonnell 0-2, Jamie Clarke, Conor Doyle; Conor Crowley 0-1, Ross Dunphy 0-5 (0-4 2p), Lee Walker l-0. Subs: Subs: Adam Burgess & Kyle Nolan for Moore and Walker (41); Christopher Blake for McCarron (57); Shane Clarke for Roche (58); Liam Gavin for Bulger (58).
Referee: Liam Devenney (Mayo).
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