Laois collected their first brace of points when they proved too strong for an experimental Tipperary side at Portlaoise yesterday. Played on a very heavy sod, a strong gale-force wind did not help either side. Laois got off to a tonic of a start when Brian McDonald pointed a free after two minutes. Then a great Laois move saw Noel Garvan score a goal in the fifth minute. Tipperary hit back with three unanswered points from Peter Lambert, but at halftime the home side led 1-4 to 0-3. Tipperary got off to a great start after the interval when full forward John Carroll hammered home a good goal.

However, the visitors added only one more point as Laois pulled away with a succession of points from Stephen Kelly, Noel Garvan and substitutes Damian Delaney and Michael Lawlor.

LAOIS: F Byron; J P Kehoe, E Delaney, J Higgins; T Kelly, D Conroy, A Phelan; J Murphy, P Clancy; N Garvan (1-2), P Dunne (0-1), G Ramsbottom; S Kely (0-3), H Emerson, B McDonald (0-3). Subs: T McDonald for J P Kehoe; M Lalor (0-1) for A Phelan; D Delaney (0-3) for H Emerson; K Kelly for B McDonald.

TIPPERARY: P Ryan; D Byrne (0-1), N Kelly, L Cronin; M Sheehan, D Peters, M O'Brien; E Hanrahan, L England; D O'Brien, F O'Callaghan, T Connors; P Lambert (0-3), J Carroll (1-0), K Dempsey. Subs: J Keating for K Dempsey; E O'Connor for M O'Brien. Referee: J Kearney (Cork)