Sligo's U20 hurlers came up against the competition's hot favourites on their home patch when drawn against Derry in the opening round of the U20 B Hurling championship which was played at Derry GAA's Owenbeg complex on Saturday.
Playing with a young team that are all underage next year, Sligo couldn't match the cohesion and firepower of the home side which ran out 5-21 to 2-9 victors.
Sligo; Seamus Foody; Niall Hallinan, Jaime Walsh, Lee Gilmartin; Marc Gray, Conor White, Oisín Hennessy; Robert O'Kelly Lynch (1-1), Cian Flynn (0-2); Ciarán Keenan (1-4, 1-2f, '65), Ryan Gillespie (0-1), Paul O'Brien; Thomas Davis, Donnchadh O'Brien, Darragh Flynn.
Subs: Adam Rolston (0-1) for Hallinan (25 min), Jack Feeney for Gray (33 min), Jack Byron for Gilmartin and Matthew Hunt for Gillespie (52 mins), Matthew Percy for Hennessey and Stephen Conway for White (both 53 mins) Paul Ruane for D Flynn (58 min),