Leinster SHC Semi-final Wexford 0-24 Laois 1-10: Please God there'll be better days for hurling in Croke Park this summer. The heavy air of inevitability going into yesterday's Leinster hurling semi-finals was bad enough, but then Wexford had the nerve to fool us into thinking we might actually get one worthwhile contest.

Instead, we got a little flirting, but no romance. Laois illuminated the first 10 minutes by edging into a four-point lead, but after that everything fell dead flat. In the end, Wexford peacefully ensured they get to defend their Leinster title against Kilkenny on July 3rd - and Laois get to sample the new qualifier tour.

So calm and deliberate was Wexford's response to that threat of a contest that you wondered if they had staged the whole thing. Give Laois a headstart, and let's enjoy the chase. It certainly came across as a sort of harmless prank.

But that would be a little unfair to Laois, because they did play some confident and inspired hurling during the opening stages, however short-lived that proved to be. Team captain Joe Phelan had them on their way with the opening point, and in the sixth minute Tommy Fitzgerald sent the ball floating across the Wexford goal, where Damien Culleton cleanly caught before rifling into the net.

Laois added two points to Wexford's one, and so led 1-3 to 0-2 with 10 minutes played. Wexford didn't seem to notice. They just played on in their own reassured manner, oblivious to the alarm bells ringing in less secure minds, and just punished Laois for every moment of hesitation. They took four points in succession off Laois balls and within six minutes a Rory Jacob free had given them the lead. Suddenly, that opening quarter appeared less like a false dawn and more like a false start.

James Young briefly restored parity, but Laois wouldn't score again in the first half. Wexford rolled off eight unanswered points to enjoy a half-time advantage of 0-15 to 1-4. So much for the first shock of the season.

"Yeah, we'd a great start," admitted Laois manager Paudie Butler. "But then we just went casual or sloppy on our own ball, and against Wexford that's suicidal. After that, we lost heart and lost method. We rallied a little in the second half, but all we were trying to do was bring it back to respectability, because the match was gone beyond us.

"I just don't think we're mentally tough enough for this stage yet. We wilted way too softly, and one by one folded up. When Wexford started hitting us harder we didn't know how to take it. We've definitely a good bit to learn about being in Croke Park on big days like this."

Wexford manager Séamus Murphy didn't learn a whole lot either about big days in Croke Park, except that a far bigger one awaits. It was, however, his first time to take Wexford to GAA headquarters, and that showed in his slight detour in trying to find the losers' dressingroom.

"The lads just kept their shape," said Murphy, "and believed in themselves. They picked off some great scores and spread the ball around.We'd liked to have been pushed the whole way. But we'll settle for what we got.

"We'll work on this, but the lads were very relaxed coming up here. There was just enough tension there, and we used our game plan and held our heads."

Laois needed to make use of every opportunity, but they just couldn't do that beyond the opening 15 minutes. One man who had a major say in that was Darragh Ryan, the Wexford full back who was playing his first competitive game all year having sat out the season so far with a knee injury.

Ryan lorded the Wexford defence with increasing authority and midway through the second half most people had lost count of the number of clean fetches he made above the Laois forwards.

Adrian Fenlon was also back to his old best at midfield after enduring a similar winter hiatus, his accuracy and timing showing no lack of sharpness. The Jacob brothers, Michael and Rory, were typically industrious, with the latter ending up with 0-7 next to his name.

There was also an encouraging show from debutant Des Mythen in the right corner as he popped up for three points. Declan Ruth was also a model of consistency at centre back, sending over three frees and one 65.

Laois had got this far by virtue of their four goals against Dublin, and they needed as many again to rattle Wexford.

Young, however, never once got the ball that he needed, despite starting at centre forward, and when Liam Tynan had a goal disallowed in the second half for taking too many steps with the sliotar in the hand, it was clear Laois weren't going to find more than one crack in the Wexford defence.

With that came the inevitable.

WEXFORD: 1 D Fitzhenry; 2 D O'Connor, 3 D Ryan, 4 K Rossiter; 29 M Travers, 5 D Ruth (0-4, three frees, one 65), 7 D Lyng; 8 R Barry (0-1), 9 A Fenlon (0-1); 10 R McCarthy (0-2), 11 E Quigley (0-2), 12 M Jacob; 13 D Mythen (0-3), 14 M Jordan (0-1), 15 R Jacob (0-7, five frees). Subs: 22 N Higgins (0-2) for Jordan (48 mins), 19 P Carley (0-1) for Barry (62 mins), 28 T Mahon for McCarthy (66 mins), 6 D Stamp for Travers (68 mins), 27 B Lambert for Mythen (69 mins).

LAOIS: 1 P Mullaney; 2 B Campion, 3 P Cuddy, 4 M McEvoy; 5 J Fitzpatrick, 6 D Rooney, 7 S Dwyer; 10 J Phelan (0-1), 11 E Meagher; 9 J Walsh, 8 J Young (0-7, three frees, two 65s), 12 C Healy (0-1); 13 T Fitzgerald (0-1), 14 L Tynan, 15 D Culleton (1-0). Subs: 17 M Rooney for Meagher (43 mins), 20 R Jones for Phelan (48 mins), 19 C Coonan for Healy (61 mins), 22 C Brophy for Walsh (69 mins).

Referee: J Sexton (Limerick).