Sligo’s senior hurlers bounced back from the disappointment of successive defeats to London and Derry to outclass Wicklow in their Christy Ring Cup third round tie at Markievicz Park on Saturday afternoon last (Apr23)

With a victory being essential to set themselves up for another year in the Christy Ring Cup Sligo went on the attack from the off and were rewarded with their first opening score from a Gerard O’Kelly Lynch free inside the first minute.

The home side quickly established a rhythm and built an eight-point lead without reply by the 12th minute when Wicklow centre forward John Doyle got the Garden County off the mark with a pointed free.

It didn’t stop the Sligo flow however as Conor Hanniffy with a point and then Andy Kilcullen with a goal and Hanniffy again with a point stretched the advantage to 12 points, 1-10 to 0-1 by the 20 minutes mark.

Kilcullen got a second goal and added three points with one from Hanniffy to send Sligo in 15 points ahead 2-14 to 0-5 with three of Wicklow’s late first half score coming from placed balls.

Sligo picked up where they left off after the break and after each side notched two points, Joe McHugh netted Sligo’s third goal to extend the gap to 18 points after 43 minutes, 3- 16 t0 0-7, and extinguished any hope of a return from Wicklow.

With the result totally beyond doubt, the pace of the game slowed as both sides introduced a range of substitutes. Sligo added a further 1-8 to Wicklow’s1-7 over the final 20 minutes with substitute Ruairi Brennan getting the fourth goal and points for Hanniffy, Kilcullen and Patrick Foley with Gerard O’Kelly Lynch finishing the game off as it started with a pointed free to register a 19 point victory and secure two invaluable table points in the battle to stay in the Christy Ring Cup competition.

With one team to go down and two rounds left to play, Sligo next face Mayo where a victory will confirm their status for another year.

Sligo: Jimmy Gordon. Niall Kilcullen, Mark Hanniffy, Kevin O’Kennedy; Gavin Connolly, Rory McHugh, Niall Feehily; Finnian Cawley, Patrick Foley (0-2) ; Michael Munnelly, Gerard O’Kelly Lynch (0-5, 2f), Conor Hanniffy (0-8); Joe McHugh (1-0), Andy Kilcullen (2-8), Thomás Cawley (0-1)

Subs: Kevin Gilmartin for Munnelly (6 Min) Eoghan Rua McGowan for C Hanniffy (54mim) Ruairi Brennan (1-0) for T Cawley (60), Liam O’Kelly Lynch for Connolly (both 60 min).