Starlights 4-11 Gusserane 2-9

Holders Starlights got off to a goal-den start as Alan Tobin and Eamonn Furlong each bagged a brace of first-half majors in Saturday evening’s first-round Group B Tom Doyle Supplies county senior football championship showdown with 2016 champions Gusserane at the ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Ferns.

Gusserane were minus Adrian Flynn and Graeme Cullen, and Starlights, under the charge of recent Gusserane selector Joe O’Hagan, dominated matters. They dealt the challengers a hammer-blow when Tobin and Furlong goaled within a minute of each other to generate a 2-1 to no-score lead on seven minutes.

The winners failed to make the most of other goaling chances, but the same duo again found the net before half-time – Furlong on 18 minutes, and Tobin in added-time – for a considerable 4-6 to 0-5 gap at half-time.

There wasn’t the same urgency about the defending champions subsequently, and a hard-trying Gusserane salvaged consolation goals through Seán ‘Mini’ Ryan and Shane Cullen on 52 and 57 minutes respectively. But Starlights were extremely comfortable.

Starlights – Pa Doyle, Rory O’Connor, Jack Kelly, Mel Doyle, James Peare, Ricky Fox, Kevin Foley, Liam Ryan (0-5), Richie Farrell, Alan Tobin (2-3, 0-3 frees), Nick Doyle (0-1), Dylan Redmond, Darragh Pepper (0-1), Eamonn Furlong (2-0), Ryan Mahon.

Subs: James Carty for Furlong (41); Aaron Dobbs (0-1) for Farrell (53); Anthony Roche for Fox (60).

Gusserane – Micheál Ryan, Jack O’Connor, Gavin Sheehan, Mark O’Neill, Jack Burford (0-1), Liam Dillon (capt.), Adrian Redmond, John Roche, Cillian Kehoe (0-1), Kenneth Cahill, Páraic Conway, Mark Rossiter (0-5, 4 frees), Seán Ryan (1-0), Shane Cullen (1-1), Sam Wall.

Subs: Tommy Ryan for Redmond (inj., 10); Eoin Ryan for O’Connor (22); Kevin O’Donoghue (0-1) for Wall (49).

Referee – Barry Redmond (Clonard).