Tooreen's defence of Connacht title off to a confident start

Connacht intermediate hurling champions Tooreen have overcome the first challenge in the defence of their title.

The Mayo kingpins secured a 2-23 to 2-14 over Roscommon's Four Roads in Athleague this afternoon after holding a 0-14 to 0-7 lead at half-time.

It sets up a Connacht semi-final away to the as-yet-unknown London champions, a game that's in the fixture list to be played over the weekend of November 11/12.

The London final between Robert Emmets and Brothers Pearse has been delayed due to disciplinary procedures and as of now, a date for that final has not been announced.

The winners of the Connacht semi-final between Tooreen and the London champions will face Galway's Ballinderreen in the provincial decider. That game is due to be played on November 25/26.

After winning the Connacht title last year, Tooreen went on to reach the All-Ireland intermediate final in which they were narrowly defeated by Monaleen of Limerick in Croke Park.