CARLOW senior footballers qualified for the O'Byrne Shield final when they defeated Dublin Institute of Technology by six points in the semi final at Dr Cullen Park on Sunday. Carlow were without the services of the county under 21 players who were on duty earlier in the day in a challenge game against Laois, while Rathvilly's J.J. Smith was resting a slight hamstring injury.

The DIT men were first out of the traps with their lively corner forward Dermot Connolly raising the games first white flag from a free after ninety seconds. The home side responded quickly, and a good build up from Mark Carpenter to Johnny Kavanagh, saw the Asca man kick over Carlow's opening score. Surprisingly with a fair deal of possession in the forwards this was their lone point of the half.

Five minutes into the game, Carlow strung a great move together started by Mark Carpenter involving Johnny Kavanagh and Sean Gannon as Gannon laid on a perfect pass for Simon Rea to race through and send a super shot past Ian McDonald to the Dublin net, 11 to 0-1.

How ever with much outfield play, the scores became excessively scarce on each side, as it was only in the last nine minutes that the scores came.

DIT came very close to levelling the sides when David Connolly bobbed and weaved through the defence only to see his blistering shot come back off the upright, and cleared by a defender. Nine minutes before the break and David Flynn from play sent over the visitors second point, this was quickly followed by centre half forward Kevin McLoughlin, as he narrowed the gap to a single point 1-1 to 0-3. At his stage Carlow had not taken a few scoring opportunities, and had struck four wides to three for the DIT men.

Carlow won a free a metre outside the fourty five metre line which Simon Rea floated in around the small square as full back Kevin Diffley and goalie Ian McDonald rose high to catch the ball together, it bounced of their hands and in to the back of the net.

Eoin O'Reilly sent over DIT's fourth point from play to leave a goal between the sides at the break, Carlow 2-1 DIT. 0-4.

On the restart Simon Rea put Carlow further ahead with two quick points one from play and one from a free. Karl Dias kept the Dublin side in touch, before Daniel Graham took a blistering shot at the Carlow goal bringing out the best in James Clarke as he turned the ball out for fourty five with an excellent save. Midway through the last half a long ball from Alan Kelly was fielded by Johnny Kavanagh who was brought down on route for goal on the edge of the small square.

That man again Simon Rea completed the hat trick as he shot low and hard to the left hand corner of the net sending the goalie the wrong way, 3-4 to 0-7.

Each side went on to add a further three points Alan Curran who had a fine game Alan Kelly and Sean Gannon getting on the score sheet for Carlow while Dermot Connolly with two and John McGrath brought DIT's tally to an end.

- TOMMY MURPHY