Wexford have emerged as the clearcut pacemaker in division three. The Leinster side scored a critical five point success over previously unbeaten Down in their top of the table meeting with the Mournemen at Wexford Park.

It was an effervescent Down however who opened the game in much the brighter fashion and they had the home side struggling for most of the thirty five minutes.

Down resumed with the first score on the changeover, a point from corner forward John Clarke but then the game suddenly sped away from them. Once again the architect of the Wexford revival was the immensely talented Mattie Forde.

His astute pass manufactured a goal for Adrain Flynn and three minutes later, Forde eased his way in for a second Slaneysiders goal. Those two scores sucker punched a previously confident Down team and the Ulster side were to finish the second half with a miserly two points tally.

Louth notched their first win of the campaign when they proved to be much too strong for a limited Leitrim team in this game played at Dundalk. Nine points the difference between the teams at the end and this was a fair enough reflection of the pattern of the game.

Sligo picked up their first win with a slender one point home success over Limerick at Markievicz Park. It took a late point from Jonathan Davey to swing the result in their favour after Limerick had pulled level moments earlier with a score from Ciaran Quinn. That Quinn score had brought the teams level for the fifth time in the game but the quality of the game was barely moderate.

Sligo had opened the sharper and scooted three points clear early on but then lost their way in the middle stages of the half as Limerick got up and running. The Munster side had the boost of a goal from Dermot Phelan but it was the Yeats men who were to emerge on top and claim the two points.