LAOIS SFC FINAL Portlaoise 1-9 Arles/Kilcruise 0-8: PORTLAOISE WON their 26th Laois senior football title and a third in a row defeating the champions of six years ago in a very disappointing final at Portlaoise yesterday.

The sides were level three times in the opening half and it was 0-3 apiece at the break. Portlaoise edged three points clear and Ards/Kilcruise then hit a bad wide before Zach Tuohy edged his side four clear with 10 minutes to go.

Five minutes from time Ross Munnelly clawed back a point but Peter McNulty put three between the teams again before Munnelly added his third point and the margin was reduced to two.

Portlaoise introduced Colm Byrne and when he was fouled the referee awarded a penalty that Paul Cahillane dispatched low and hard to the Kilcruise net and that signalled the end of a gallant bid by the underdogs.

PORTLAOISE: M Nolan; M McNulty, K Fitzpatrick, C Boyle; B Mulligan, C Healy, K Lillis; A Kelly (0-2), B McCormack (0-1); A Fennelly, Z Touhy (0-2), B Glynn; P Cahillane (1-1), C Rogers (0-1), P McNulty (0-2). Subs: C Byrne for Kelly, J Fennell for Mulligan, B Fitzgerald for Boyle.

ARLES/KILCRUISE: J McDonald; M O'Shea, P Conway, D Carroll; J P Conway, C Munnelly, A McElroy; J Conway, K Meaney; R Munnelly (0-3), C Conway, S Miller; J McLoughlin (0-1), L Wall, D Conway (0-3). Sub: Francis Egan for L Wall.

Referee: M Deegan(Stradbally).