One team came from 14 points down to win — but another Galway team were 14 points up and lost

VICTORY from the jaws of defeat, and defeat from the jaws of victory â€â€ on the same afternoon. In Ballinasloe last Sunday, the county senior hurlers played their first official fixture of the new year, in defence of the Walsh Cup, the annual Leinster early-season tournament. Against Dublin I.T. at Duggan Park, Ballinasloe an experimental Galway team came from 14 points in arrears to win by two, 0-20 to 2-12. In the first half, D.I.T. led by a whopping 2-9 (15 points) to 0-1 and ten minutes into the second half they went ten points up at 2-12 to 0-8, but astonishingly the students were blitzed from there to the end as Galway hit 12 points without reply. As the winning manager John McIntyre said afterwards, it was all the more remarkable that his team staged their spectacular comeback without the help of even one goal. Galway: J. Grealish; D. Collins, C. O'Donovan, David Hayes; N. Donoghue, J. Lee, A. Cullinane (0-1); N. Cahalan (0-1), J. Coen; E. Ryan (0-2), K. Kilkenny (0-2), A. Smith (0-2); B. Murphy, G. Farragher (0-10, six frees), I. Tannian (0-1). Subs., T. Regan, for Donoghue, inj., 36 mins; D. Barry, for O'Donovan, 47 mins; D. Burke (0-1), for Cahalan, 49 mins; N. Healy, for Murphy, 51 mins. D.I.T. F. McGarry; P. Donnelly, P. Phelan, O. Walsh; E. Murphy, J. Walsh, D. English; L. Barron, H. Kehoe (1-0); M. Maloney (0-2), P. Hartley (0-1), J. Mulrooney; P. Ryan (0-4, three frees), L. Óg McGovern (1-3), P. Morris (0-2). Sub., P. Kelly, for Barron, 56 mins. Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly). In the first of the Walsh Cup semi-finals, Galway will play Dublin at Parnell Park next Saturday evening at 5.30. Dublin eliminated Antrim last weekend, 2-13 to 0-12. In the second semi-final, Laois will be at home to Kilkenny next Sunday, at Rathdowney, 12.30. The final will be played on Sunday week, February 6th. Galway's National League campaign will start on Sunday Feb. 13th at home to Wexford, at 2.30 p.m. N.U.I.G. lost to an experimental Kilkenny team in the Walsh Cup at Ballyragget last Sunday, 3-16 â€Â¨to 2-12. SADLY for another local team last Sunday, the story was of losing a 14-point lead. Monivea Rugby Club led their old rivals Sligo 17-3 at half-time of their big showdown in the Connacht Junior League, in Sligo where a crowd of over 1,000 were entertained by a reportedly classic game between the two best teams in the competition in recent years. But Monivea couldn't hold on in the second half, and a sin-binning of one of their forwards proved particularly costly as the home side powered to a 30-20 triumph. Sligo are hot favourites to clinch the League title but there was much more at stake last Sunday, for in Monivea's ongoing drive to compete in the All-Ireland League this was again a case of so near and yet so far. In the new All-Ireland League format, there will be automatic inclusion for the Connacht Junior League champions. The Monivea line-out at Hamilton Park, â€Â¨Ã¢€Â¨Sligo last Sunday was: S. Fahey; R. O'Connor, D. Prior, K. Higgins, G. Divilly; G. O'Connor, D. Blade; C. Divilly, B. Ryan, R. Coughlan; S. McHugh, B. Murphy; P. Fitzmaurice, K. Concarr, K. Rooney. Replacements used: G. Fitzmaurice, M. King, C. McPhillips. Scorers: Dave Prior and Ger O'Connor, tries; Ger O'Connor two conversions, two penalties. Sligo scorers: Jordan Farrington, Mata Fafita, Aaron Spring one try each; Mark Butler three conversions, three penalties. [gallery link='file' columns='4' orderby='rand']