1985–86 National Hurling League

The 1985–86 National Hurling League (known as the Ford National Hurling League for sponsorship reasons) was the 55th season of the National Hurling League.

1985–86 National Hurling League

League details
Dates	6 October 1985 – 13 July 1986
Teams	32
League champions
Winners	Kilkenny (7th win)
Other division winners
Division 2	Wexford
Division 3	Mayo
Division 4	Monaghan
← 1984–85 1986–87 →

Division 1

National Hurling League Division 1

Season	1985-86
Champions	Kilkenny 7th National League title Captain: Frank Holohan Manager: Pat Henderson
Relegated	Dublin Laois
Matches played	34
Top goalscorer	Ger Fennelly (1-47)
Biggest home win	Galway 0-25 - 0-10 Cork (20 October 1985)
Biggest away win	Cork 4-11 - 1-7 Limerick (17 November 1985)
Highest scoring	Dublin 4-17 - 3-7 Laois (3 November 1985)
← 1984-85 1986-87 → All statistics correct as of 24 February 2017.

Limerick came into the season as defending champions of the 1984-85 season. Clare and Dublin entered Division 1 as the promoted teams.

On 11 May 1986, Kilkenny won the title following a 3-11 to 2-5 win over Galway in the final. It was their first league title since 1982-83 and their 7th National League title overall.^[1]

Dublin and Laois were relegated from Division 1.

Kilkenny's Ger Fennelly was the Division 1 top scorer with 1-47.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Cork	7	5	0	2	12
2	Galway	7	5	0	2	12	National Hurling League runner-up
3	Kilkenny	7	4	1	2	9	National Hurling League champions
4	Limerick	7	4	0	3	8
5	Clare	7	3	0	4	6
6	Offaly	7	3	0	4	6
7	Dublin	7	2	1	4	5	Relegated to Division 2
8	Laois	7	1	0	6	2	Relegated to Division 2

Group stage

Cork v Clare

6 October 1985	Cork	1-20 - 4-5	Clare	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	T O'Sullivan 0-10, J Barry-Murphy 1-1, G Fitzgerald 0-3, P Buckley 0-2, J Buckley 0-2, K Kingston 0-1, B Horgan 0-1.		S Dolan 2-0, J Callanan 1-0, S Fitzpatrick 1-0, C Lyons 0-3, A Cunningham 0-1, V Donnellan 0-1.	Referee: T Murray (Limerick)

Limerick v Offaly

6 October 1985	Limerick	2-9 - 4-7	Offaly	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	L Garvey 2-1, P Kelly 0-6, M Carroll 0-1, R Sampson 0-1.		P Cleary 2-0, P Horan 1-2, P Corrigan 1-1, M Corrigan 0-2, D Owens 0-2.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Dublin v Galway

6 October 1985	Dublin	1-9 - 0-16	Galway	Croke Park, Dublin
	G Galvin 0-4, J Morris 1-0, M Ryan 0-2, J Twomey 0-1, P Mulhare 0-1, S Dalton 0-1.		PJ Molloy 0-9, M McGrath 0-4, S Linnane 0-1, P Finnerty 0-1, A Cunningham 0-1.	Referee: G Lonergan (Tipperary)

Kilkenny v Laois

6 October 1985	Kilkenny	1-13 - 0-7	Laois	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	L Fennelly 1-0, J Murphy 0-3, G Fennelly 0-3, H Ryan 0-3, R Power 0-2, P Walsh 0-2.		E Fennelly 0-3, M O'Sullivan 0-2, C Jones 0-2.

Clare v Dublin

20 October 1985	Clare	1-16 - 0-5	Dublin	Cusack Park, Ennis
	V Donnellan 0-5, T Guilfoyle 1-1, C Lyons 0-3, S Fitzpatrick 0-2, P Lynch 0-1, A Cunningham 0-1, S Mahon 0-1, J Callanan 0-1, S Dolan 0-1.		M Ryan 0-2, P Mulhare 0-1, J Morris 0-1, D Dalton 0-1.	Referee: N Duggan (Limerick)

Laois v Limerick

20 October 1985	Laois	1-9 - 4-8	Limerick	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	M Walsh 1-1, M o'Sullivan 0-3, E Fennelly 0-2, O Cross 0-1, P Delaney 0-1, P O'Brien 0-1.		O O'Connor 1-2, R Sampson 1-2, A Garvey 1-1, P McCarthy 1-0, P Kelly 0-3.	Referee: P Long (Kilkenny)

Galway v Cork

20 October 1985	Galway	0-25 - 0-10	Cork	Pearse Stadium, Salthill
	PJ Molloy 0-5, A Cunningham 0-5, B Mahon 0-3, N Lane 0-3, M Naughten 0-2, J Cooney 0-2, S Linnane 0-2, B Lynskey 0-2, M McGrath 0-1.		T O'Sullivan 0-6, K Hennessy 0-1, D Walsh (St. Catherine's) 0-1, J Fenton 0-1, J O'Callaghan 0-1.	Referee: N O'Donoghue (Dublin)

Offaly v Kilkenny

20 October 1985	Offaly	3-13 - 2-14	Kilkenny	St. Brendan's Park, Birr
	P Cleary 2-1, J Dooley 1-3, P Corrigan 0-6, B Bermingham 0-1, M Corrisgn 0-1, B Keeshan 0-1.		G Fennelly 0-8, L Fennelly 2-0, H Ryan 0-3, J Murphy 0-1, L Ryan 0-1, P Walshe 0-1.	Referee: S Ryan (Tipperary)

Kilkenny v Galway

3 November 1985	Kilkenny	2-9 - 0-9	Galway	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	G Fennelly 1-7, J Hennessy 0-2.		PJ Molloy 0-5, A Cunningham 0-1, S Linnane 0-1, S Mahon 0-1, M McGrath 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Cork v Offaly

3 November 1985	Cork	2-17 - 1-11	Offaly	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	T O'Sullivan 0-9, J Fenton 1-3, D Walsh (St. Finbarr's) 1-1, K Hennessy 0-2, J Meyler 0-1, J Barry-Murphy 0-1,		P Horan 0-5, J Dooley 1-0, M Coughlan 0-2, D Owens 0-1, J Kelly 0-1, D Fogarty 0-1, S Byrne 0-1.	Referee: G Long (Tipperary)

Dublin v Laois

3 November 1985	Dublin	4-17 - 3-7	Laois	Croke Park, Dublin
	S McDermott 2-7, J Morris 1-1, L Byrne 0-4, J Twomey 0-1, J Murphy 0-1, M Ryan 0-1, S Dalton 0-1, M Hurley 0-1.		P Critchley 1-1, M Walsh 1-1, M Ahearne 1-0, J Phelan 1-0 (og), C Jones 0-3, E Fennelly 0-2.	Referee: J Denton (Wexford)

Limerick v Clare

3 November 1985	Limerick	2-8 - 2-21	Clare	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	P Kelly 0-6, L Garvey 1-0, P McCarthy 1-0, M Melligan 0-1, O O'Connor 0-1.		V Donnellan 0-12, J Callanan 2-1, S Fitzpatrick 0-3, C Lyons 0-3, P Lynch 0-2.	Referee: G Kirwan (Offaly)

Clare v Offaly

17 November 1985	Clare	2-12 - 3-10	Offaly	Cusack Park, Ennis
	S Fitzpatrick 1-1, C Lyons 0-4, V Donnellan 0-4, S Dolan 1-0, M Meehan 0-2, T Guilfoyle 0-1.		P Corrigan 1-8, J Dooley 1-1, D Fogarty 1-0, P Horan 0-1.	Referee: T Murray (Limerick)

Laois v Galway

17 November 1985	Laois	0-8 - 3-6	Galway	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	E Fennelly 0-4, J Phelan 0-1, W Kirwan 0-1, P Critchley 0-1, M O'Sullivan 0-1.		M Connolly 2-0, B Forde 1-0, J Cooney 0-3, PJ Molloy 0-2, M McGrath 0-1.	Referee: JF Bailey (Dublin)

Limerick v Cork

17 November 1985	Limerick	1-7 - 4-11	Cork	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	B O'Connor 1-0, D Fitzgerald 0-3, P Kelly 0-2, P McCarthy 0-1, L Garvey 0-1.		J Barry-Murphy 2-1, J Meyler 1-2, D Walsh 1-1, F Delaney 0-3, J Fenton 0-2, K Hennessy 0-1, J Cashman 0-1.	Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Dublin v Kilkenny

17 November 1985	Dublin	1-10 - 0-13	Kilkenny	Croke Park, Dublin
	S McDermott 0-5, J Kearns 1-0, J Twomey 0-2, L Dalton 0-2, L Byrne 0-1.		G Fennelly 0-7, B Fitzpatrick 0-3, C Heffernan 0-2, J Murphy 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Cork v Laois

9 February 1986	Cork	3-10 - 2-10	Laois	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	T Mulcahy 2-0, T O'Sullivan 0-6, K Kingston 1-0, D Walsh (St. Finbarr's) 0-3, J Fenton 0-1.		E Fennelly 0-6, P Critchley 1-1, S Plunkett 1-0, M Walsh 0-1, M Ahearne 0-1, J Taylor 0-1.	Referee: F Murphy (Cork)

Kilkenny v Clare

9 February 1986	Kilkenny	1-17 - 2-9	Clare	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	J Mulcahy 0-7, K Brennan 0-4, L Fennelly 1-0, G Fennelly 0-2, B Fitzpatrick 0-2, C Heffernan 0-1, MJ Ryan 0-1.		P Lynch 2-0, C Lyons 0-4, V Donnellan 0-3, S McMahon 0-1, S Dolan 0-1.	Referee: J Moore (Waterford)

Galway v Limerick

9 February 1986	Galway	2-10 - 5-6	Limerick	St. Brendan's Park, Loughrea
	S Linnane 0-7, J Cooney 1-0, M McGrath 1-0, M Connolly 0-1, PJ Molloy 0-1, B Lynskey 0-1.		P McCqrthy 2-0, P Kelly 0-5, D Fitzgerald 1-1, S Fitzgibbon 1-0, L Garvey 1-0.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Dublin v Cork

23 February 1986	Dublin	2-6 - 3-4	Cork	Croke Park, Dublin
	V Holden 2-1, M Ryan 0-3, D Murphy 0-1, L Byrne 0-1.		J Fenton 2-1, J Meyler 1-0, J Barry-Murphy 0-1, K Hennessy 0-1, T O'Sullivan 0-1.	Referee: J Denton (Wexford)

Laois v Offaly

23 February 1986	Laois	2-8 - 1-8	Offaly	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	W Kirwan 1-1, S Plunkett 1-0, E Fennelly 0-2, M Hearne 0-2, J Delaney 0-1, P Critchley 0-1, C Hyland 0-1.		M Corrigan 0-6, P Cleary 1-0, J Dooley 0-1, L Carroll 0-1.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Kilkenny v Limerick

23 February 1986	Kilkenny	3-4 - 0-15	Limerick	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	K Brennan 1-2, J Mulcahy 1-0, B Fitzpatrick 1-0, R Power 0-1, L Walsh 0-1.		P Kelly 0-10, D Fitzgerald 0-3, L Garvey 0-1, B Carroll 0-1.	Referee: F Murphy (Cork)

Galway v Clare

23 February 1986	Galway	0-12 - 0-5	Clare	Duggan Park, Ballinasloe
	J Cooney 0-4, A Cunningham 0-3, N Lane 0-2, PJ Molloy 0-1, M McGrath 0-1, M Connolly 0-1.		T Guilfoyle 0-1, S Dolan 0-1, N O'Grady 0-1, J Callanan 0-1, C Lyons 0-1.	Referee: T Murray (Limerick)

Cork v Kilkenny

9 March 1986	Cork	3-7 - 3-10	Kilkenny	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	J Barry-Murphy 2-0, J Meyler 1-1, T O'Sullivan 0-3, D Walsh (St. Finbarr's) 0-1, J Fenton 0-1, P Hartnett 0-1.		K Brenann 1-2, G Fennelly 0-5, L Fennelly 1-0, B Fitzpatrick 1-0, R Power 0-2, J Mulcahy 0-1.	Referee: T Murray (Limerick)

Clare v Laois

9 March 1986	Clare	1-11 - 1-5	Laois	Cusack Park, Ennis
	C Lyons 1-6, V Donnellan 0-3, P Lynch 0-1, J Moroney 0-1.		P Critchley 1-0, W Kirwan 0-3, J Phelan 0-1, S Plunkett 0-1.	Referee: JJ Corcoran (Galway)

Limerick v Dublin

9 March 1986	Limerick	4-7 - 0-10	Dublin	Gaelic Grounds, Dublin
	P McCarthy 2-0, D Fitzgerald 1-1, S Fitzgibbon 1-0, P Kelly 0-4, L Tobin 0-1, B Carroll 0-1.		S McDermott 0-4, S Dalton 0-2, L Byrne 0-1, C Hannebry 0-1, JD Murphy 0-1, M O'Riordan 0-1.	Referee: W Horgan (Cork)

Offaly v Galway

9 March 1986	Offaly	0-9 - 1-10	Galway	St. Brendan's Park, Birr
	P Corrigan 0-6, J Dooley 0-2, D Owens 0-1.		J Cooney 0-5, M Connolly 1-1, S Mahon 0-2, N Lane 0-1, PJ Molloy 0-1.

Knock-out stage

Quarter-finals

Wexford v Limerick

13 April 1986 Quarter-final	Wexford	2-12 - 1-10	Limerick	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	J Houlihan 1-5, M Storey 1-1, Martin Fitzhenry 0-2, T Dunne 0-1, J O'Connor 0-1, B Byrne 0-1, S Whelan 0-1.		P Kelly 0-7, B Carroll 1-0, R Sampson 0-2, D Fitzgerald 0-1.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Kilkenny v Westmeath

13 April 1986 Quarter-final	Kilkenny	3-8 - 0-15	Westmeath	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	J O'Hara 2-0, G Fennelly 0-5, L Fennelly 1-0, L Ryan 0-2, B Fitzpatrick 0-1.		D Kilcoyne 0-7, E Gallagher 0-3, M Cosgrove 0-2, S Kilcoyne 0-2, P Curran 0-1.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Semi-finals

Kilkenny v Cork

27 April 1986 Semi-final	Kilkenny	2-15 – 1-8	Cork	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	L Ryan 2-1, K Brennan 0-5, G Fennelly 0-5, R Power 0-1, C Heffernan 0-1, L Fennelly 0-1, B Walton 0-1.		T O'Sullivan 0-4, K Kingston 1-0, G Fitzgerald 0-2, T Mulcahy 0-1, P Horgan 0-1.	Referee: J Denton (Wexford)

Galway v Wexford

27 April 1986 Semi-final	Galway	1-16 – 3-10	Wexford	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	J Cooney 1-3, PJ Molloy 0-6, A Cunningham 0-3, S Linnane 0-2, B Forde 0-1, S Mahon 0-1.		T Dempsey 2-1, J Houlihan 0-5, M Storey 1-1, S Whelan 0-1, S Fitzhenry 0-1, J Barron 0-1.	Referee: JF Bailey (Dublin)

Galway v Wexford

4 May 1986 Semi-final replay	Galway	3-11 – 2-5	Wexford	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	N Lane 2-1, PJ Molloy 0-4, M Connolly 1-0, J Cooney 0-2, M Naughton 0-2, A Cunningham 0-1, B Forde 0-1.		T Dempsey 1-1, T Byrne 1-0, J Houlihan 0-2, P Courtney 0-1, S Fitzhenry 0-1.	Referee: JF Bailey (Dublin)

Final

Kilkenny v Galway

11 May 1986 Final	Kilkenny	2-10 – 2-6	Galway	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	G Fennelly 0-5, L Fennelly 1-0, C Heffernan 1-0, J O'Hara 0-1, K Brennan 0-1, P Walsh 0-1, L Ryan 0-1, J Mulcahy 0-1.		N Lane 1-1, C Hayes 1-0, J Cooney 0-2, PJ Molloy 0-1, A Cunningham 0-1, M McGrath 0-1.	Attendance: 18,276 Referee: F Murphy (Cork)

Scoring statistics

Rank	Player	Team	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Ger Fennelly	Kilkenny	1-47	50	10	5.00
2	Paddy Kelly	Limerick	0-43	43	8	5.37
3	Tony O'Sullivan	Cork	0-39	39	8	4.87
4	P. J. Molloy	Galway	0-35	35	10	3.50
5	Val Donnellan	Galway	0-28	28	7	4.00
6	Paddy Corrigan	Offaly	2-21	27	5	5.40
	Joe Cooney	Galway	2-21	27	10	2.70
	Cyril Lyons	Clare	1-24	27	7	3.85
9	Liam Fennelly	Kilkenny	7-01	22	10	2.20
	Seán McDermott	Dublin	2-16	22	4	5.50

Top scorers in a single game

Rank	Player	Team	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Seán McDermott	Dublin	2-07	13	Laois
2	Val Donnellan	Clare	0-12	12	Limerick
3	Paddy Corrigan	Offaly	1-08	11	Clare
4	Ger Fennelly	Kilkenny	1-07	10	Galway
	Tony O'Sullivan	Cork	0-10	10	Clare
	Paddy Kelly	Limerick	0-10	10	Kilkenny
7	Cyril Lyons	Clare	1-06	9	Laois
	P. J. Molloy	Galway	0-09	9	Dublin
	Tony O'Sullivan	Cork	0-09	9	Galway
10	John Holohan	Wexford	1-05	8	Limerick
	Ger Fennelly	Kilkenny	0-08	8	Offaly

Division 2

National Hurling League Division 2

Season	1985-86
Champions	Wexford
Promoted	Westmeath
Relegated	Down Roscommon
Matches played	28
Biggest home win	Wexford 8-11 - 1-6 Roscommon (20 October 1985)
Biggest away win	Antrim 5-13 - 1-7 Kerry (2 March 1985)
Highest scoring	Antrim 4-15 - 3-12 Roscommon (23 February 1986)
← 1984-85 1986-87 → All statistics correct as of 24 February 2017.

Down, Meath, Tipperary and Wexford entered Division 2 as the promoted and relegated teams from the previous season.

On 9 March 1986, Wexford secured the title following a 3-15 to 1-5 win over Kerry in the final round of the group stage. Westmeath secured promotion to Division 1 as the second-placed team.

Down and Roscommon were relegated from Division 2.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Wexford (C)	7	6	1	0	13	Promoted to Division 1
2	Westmeath	7	6	0	1	12	Promoted to Division 1
3	Tipperary	7	5	0	2	10
4	Antrim	7	4	1	2	9
5	Kerry	7	3	0	4	6
6	Meath	7	2	0	5	4
7	Roscommon	7	0	1	6	1	Relegated to Division 3
8	Down	7	0	1	6	1	Relegated to Division 3

Group stage

Antrim v Wexford

6 October 1985	Antrim	1-13 - 2-10	Wexford	Casement Park, Belfast
	D Donnelly 1-6, C McVeigh 0-4, P McKillen 0-1, D McNaughton 0-1, C Donnelly 0-1.		J Holohan 1-7, J Fleming 1-1, B Byrne 0-1, T Dempsey 0-1.	Referee: JF Bailey (Dublin)

Roscommon v Tipperary

6 October 1985	Roscommon	0-9 - 0-17	Tipperary	Athleague Sportsfield, Athleague
	P Doran 0-5, W Depinna 0-3, S Kilroy 0-1.		N English 0-7, G O'Neill 0-3, L Maher 0-3, A Ryan 0-2, P Kennedy 0-1, MJ Russell 0-1.	Referee: P Horan (Offaly)

Meath v Down

6 October 1985	Meath	1-13 - 1-5	Down	St. Loman's Park, Trim
	F McCann 1-5, D O'Keeffe 0-5, N Molloy 0-1, M Smith 0-1, P Gannon 0-1.		B Rorr 1-1, A Mageehan 0-2, N Fanda 0-1, S Fay 0-1.	Referee: P Casey (Westmeath)

Westmeath v Kerry

6 October 1985	Westmeath	1-11 - 0-8	Kerry	Collinstown
	D Kilcoyne 0-5, E Gallagher 1-1, M Kilcoyne 0-2, E Dolan 0-1, M Cosgrave 0-1, B McCabe 0-1.		P Nolan 0-6, G O'Sullivan 0-2.	Referee: P Delaney (Laois)

Tipperary v Antrim

20 October 1985	Tipperary	1-18 - 1-10	Antrim	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	P Kennedy 1-4, N English 0-5, S Power 0-4, M Scully 0-2, J McGrath 0-1, G O'Neill 0-1, A Ryan 0-1.		T McGrath 1-1, C Donnelly 0-3, B Donnelly 0-2, D Donnelly 0-2, D McNaughton 0-2.

Down v Westmeath

20 October 1985	Down	2-9 - 2-16	Westmeath	McKenna Park, Ballycran
	S Fay 1-6, D Hughes 1-1, G Fitzsimons 0-2.		D Kilcoyne 0-8, E Gallaher 2-1, S Kilcoyne 0-2, M Kilcoyne 0-3, M Kilcoyne 0-2.

Wexford v Roscommon

20 October 1985	Wexford	8-11 - 1-6	Roscommon	Enniscorthy
	B Byrne 3-1, J Fleming 3-0, J Holohan 1-2, J Murphy 1-0, M Storey 0-2, M Connors 0-2, G O'Connor 0-1, J O'Connor 0-1, P Courtney 0-1, T Dempsey 0-1.		P Dolan 0-5, H Crowley 1-0, P Flynn 0-1.

Kerry v Meath

20 October 1985	Kerry	2-6 - 0-10	Meath	Austin Stack Park, Tralee
	S Flaherty 1-3, P McMahon 1-0, C Walsh 0-2, J O'Sullivan 0-1.		F McCann 0-4, T Ferguson 0-3, P Farrell 0-1, A Kirby 0-1, N Molloy 0-1.

Westmeath v Tipperary

3 November 1985	Westmeath	1-18 - 1-11	Tipperary	Cusack Park, Mullingar
	D Kilcoyne 1-8, M Cosgrave 0-3, M Kilcoyne 0-2, M Hickey 0-1, P Clancy 0-1, D McCormack 0-1, S Kilcoyne 0-1, E Gallagher 0-1.		M Scully 0-7, G O'Neill 1-0, E O'Shea 0-2, N English 0-1, D O'Connell 0-1.	Referee: J Corcoran (Galway)

Antrim v Down

3 November 1985	Antrim	5-9 - 1-7	Down	Glenravel
	D Donnelly 2-3, T McGrath 1-1, C Donnelly 1-0, A McCarry 1-0, D McNaughten 0-3, P McKillen 0-1, B Donnelly 0-1.		G Coulter 1-0, S Fay 0-2, D O'Prey 0-1, H Gilmore 0-1, M Bailey 0-1, M Mageean 0-1, N Sands 0-1.	Referee: M McCormack (Meath)

Roscommon v Kerry

3 November 1985	Roscommon	2-11 - 6-4	Kerry	Athleague Sportsfield, Athleague
	S Kilroy 1-1, P Dolan 0-4, PJ Lynch 1-0, P Flynn 0-3, W Depinna 0-1, J Kelly 0-1, H Crowley 0-1.		J McCarthy 2-1, C Walsh 1-1, P McMahon 1-0, S O'Shea 1-0, J O'Connell 1-0, T Halloran 0-1, M Conway 0-1.	Referee: M Quinn (Clare)

Meath v Wexford

3 November 1985	Meath	0-7 - 4-7	Wexford	St. Loman's Park, Trim
	F McCann 0-4, B Tansey 0-2, N Smith 0-1.		M Quigley 1-2, J Holohan 1-1, J Walker 1-0, B Byrne 1-0, P Courtney 0-3, J Murphy 0-1.	Referee: N O'Donoghue (Dublin)

Westmeath v Roscommon

17 November 1985	Westmeath	3-21 - 0-5	Roscommon	Cusack Park, Mullingar
	D Kilcoyne 1-11.

Tipperary v Kerry

17 November 1985	Tipperary	3-21 - 2-8	Kerry	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	M Scully 1-9, N English 2-4, S Power 0-2, L Maher 0-2, P Kennedy 0-2, B Mannion 0-1, P Everard 0-1.		J O'Sullivan 1-1, S O'Flaherty 0-4, J O'Connell 1-0, T Nolan 0-1, CWalsh 0-1, J Walsh 0-1.	Referee: K Walsh (Limerick)

Down v Wexford

17 November 1985

Down

4-3 - 3-13

Wexford

Mitchell Park, Ballygalget

Antrim v Meath

17 November 1985

Antrim

5-14 - 3-9

Meath

Glenravel

Tipperary v Meath

9 February 1986

Tipperary

2-16 - 0-5

Meath

MacDonagh Park, Nenagh

Wexford v Westmeath

9 February 1986

Wexford

4-16 - 0-14

Westmeath

Wexford Park, Wexford

Roscommon v Down

9 February 1986

Roscommon

1-10 - 2-7

Down

Athleague Sportsfield, Athleague

Wexford v Tipperary

23 February 1986

Wexford

4-13 - 0-11

Tipperary

Wexford Park, Wexford

Antrim v Roscommon

23 February 1986

Antrim

4-15 - 3-12

Roscommon

Corrigan Park, Belfast

Down v Kerry

23 February 1986

Down

2-3 - 3-5

Kerry

Mitchell Park, Ballygalget

Kerry v Antrim

2 March 1986

Kerry

1-7 - 5-13

Antrim

Austin Stack Park, Tralee

Meath v westmeath

2 March 1986

Meath

0-7 - 1-16

westmeath

St. Loman's Park, Trim

Westmeath v Antrim

9 March 1986

Westmeath

3-11 - 2-9

Antrim

Cusack Park, Mullingar

Roscommon v Meath

9 March 1986

Roscommon

1-6 - 1-7

Meath

Athleague Sportsfield, Athleague

Kerry v Wexford

9 March 1986

Kerry

1-5 - 3-15

Wexford

Austin Stack Park, Tralee

Tipperary v Down

9 March 1986

Tipperary

5-12 - 1-5

Down

Semple Stadium, Thurles

Division 3

National Hurling League Division 3

Season	1985-86
Champions	Mayo
Promoted	Waterford
Relegated	Louth
← 1984-85 1986-87 → All statistics correct as of 24 February 2017.

Kildare, Louth and Waterford entered Division 3 as the promoted and relegated teams from the previous season.

On 9 March 1986, Mayo secured the title following a 0-12 to 0-8 win over Armagh in the final round of the group stage. Waterford secured promotion to Division 2 as the second-placed team.

Louth were relegated from Division 3.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1	Mayo (C)	7	6	0	1	12	Promoted to Division 2
2	Waterford	7	6	0	1	12	Promoted to Division 2
3	Armagh	7	4	1	2	9
4	Wicklow	7	3	0	4	6
5	Carlow	7	3	0	4	6
6	Derry	7	2	1	4	5
7	Kildare	7	2	0	5	4
8	Louth	7	1	0	6	2	Relegated to Division 4

Division Four

Knock-out stage

Monaghan v Longford

13 July 1986 Final

Monaghan

5-5 - 2-7

Longford

St. Loman's Park, Trim