Offaly, Laois, UCD and NUIG all enjoyed wins in the yesterday's Walsh Cup preliminary round ties. Diarmuid Horan's last-gasp pointed free earned an experimental Offaly team a 1-19 to 1-18 victory over DIT at Rath. With Dubliner Paul Ryan in fine form from frees, the students matched the hosts stride from stride until Horan stepped up to score the winner from an acute angle with the last puck of the game. Laois chalked up an impressive 1-25 to 1-13 victory over GMIT at Rathdowney. The students, who had Andrew O'Shaughnessy and Ger Mahon sent off, were always playing second fiddle against Niall Rigney's side, for whom Willie Hyland top-scored with 0-7. Dinny Cahill's first game back in charge of Antrim ended in a heavy 3-10 to 4-21 defeat to UCD at Belfield. The hosts never looked back after Liam Ryan's first-minute goal helped them to a 3-10 to 3-4 interval lead. Two quick points from Neil McManus on the restart brought Antrim to within four, but UCD stepped on the gas again and were home and hosed when Wexford's Peter Atkinson netted their fourth goal. Meanwhile, a Shane Quinlan goal just before half-time proved decisive in NUIG's 1-17 to 1-8 triumph over Liam McCarthy Cup new boys Carlow. Quinlan's goal gave the Galway students a 1-7 to 1-4 interval lead and they gradually pulled away in the second half. Tweet

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