Down knock Armagh out of the Christy Ring Cup as Kerry beat Derry

Kerry progressed to the Christy Ring Cup semi-finals as they eased to a 0-14 to 0-8 win over Derry at Tralee.

Aided by a strong wind in the first half, the hosts led 0-10 to 0-4 at the break and they matched the Oak Leafers score for the score in the second half.

Despite the defeat, Derry remain in the competition and will feature in the quarter-finals next weekend.

In the all-Ulster clash, Down defeated Armagh 1-20 to 1-11 as the Orchard County exited from the competition.

Down led Armagh 0-12 to 0-5 at half-time and Donal Hughes hit the Mourne County's goal as the victory at Crossmaglen earned the winners a place in the quarter-finals.

Michael Lennon notched Armagh's goal while James Coyle hit seven points from play for the winners with Paul Braniff contributing six points.

Gerard Monan's side were narrowly beaten at home by Kerry last weekend with Armagh suffering a seven-point defeat against Meath at Trim.

In the Tralee contest, Paddy Henry led Derry's scoring efforts with four points from frees, while Brendan Rogers (0-2), Kevin Hinphey and Conor McSorley (0-1) each were also on target.

Kerry made a strong start and led by 0-8 to 0-3 after 25 minutes with Shane Nolan hitting seven of the host team's scores.

Defences stood firm in the opening eight minutes of the second half as Derry's prospects of mounting a comeback not helped by the wind dropping at Austin Stack Park.

Six points separated the sides on a 0-12 to 0-6 score-line entering the final quarter.

The sides were well matched in the closing 17 minutes, sharing four points equally, with John Griffin and John Egan on target for Kerry as they held out for a six-point win.

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Christy Ring Cup

Round 2A

Kerry 0-14 0-08 Derry

Kildare v Meath (16:15 BST)

Round 2B

Wicklow 4-19 3-10 Mayo

Armagh 1-11 1-20 Down

Nicky Rackard Cup

Roscommon 0-16 1-16 Donegal

Tyrone 2-19 1-10 Monaghan

Lory Meagher Cup

Fermanagh 0-15 1-12 Warwickshire

Longford 3-12 0-07 Leitrim