Galway highlight the gulf

Galway ... 7-15 Down ... 0-13 The only thing learned from this qualifier at Casement Park on Saturday is that there is a huge gulf between hurling in Ulster and elsewhere.

Galway demolished Down and were in no way flattered by the 23 points winning margin. A first-half onslaught had the winners ahead by 5-8 to 0-4 at the break.

Goal number one arrived after eight minutes when Fergal Healy hit the net and the second was rocketed home from the penalty spot on 18 minutes by David Tierney. That left Galway ahead by 2-5 to 0-2 and already the writing was on the wall for Down.

Ger McGrattan and Tom Coulter tried hard but it was impossible to stop the flow of Galway scores. Alan Kerins, Healy and Mark Kerins added three more goals as the Westerners finished the half 19 points ahead.

Down battled hard in the third quarter and outscored Galway by five points to two over the opening 15 minutes but the gap was far too wide to close.

Sixteen minutes into the second half Galway opened up again with an Ollie Fahy goal and from there on it was another flow of scores as Galway piled on the pressure in the closing stages - Fergal Healy banging in his third and his team's seventh goal after 55 minutes.

GALWAY: M Crimmins; D Joyce, M Healy, O Canning; D Hardiman, L Hodgins (0-1), D O'Brien; R Gantley (0-3), R Murray; D Tierney (1-1), M Kerins (1-1), A Kerins (1-1); D Hayes (0-2), O Fahy (1-4), F Healy (3-2). Subs: C Conley for Gantley (58 mins), F Forde for A Kerins (70 mins).

DOWN: Graham Clarke; S Wilson, S Murray, L Clarke; Gabriel Clarke, G Savage (0-1), T Coulter (0-2); P Monan, M Pucci; G McGrattan (0-3), M Braniff (0-1), E Trainor; P Coulter (0-2), P Braniff (0-4), N Sands. Subs: J Trainor for Gabriel Clarke (25 mins), B Coulter for E Trainor (31 mins); G Adair for T Coulter (43 mins), J Brown for L Clarke (50 mins), G Gordon for Sands (65 mins).

Referee: P Dunphy (Kilkenny).