Shane Williams, Westmeath, and Chris Crummey, Dublin, in Allianz Hurling League action. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
Allianz Hurling League Division 1B
Dublin 1-22 Westmeath 0-18
By Gerry Buckley at TEG Cusack Park
A wasteful Dublin still maintained their 100 per cent start to life in Division 1B of the National Hurling League with a seven-point win over Westmeath in Mullingar, the winners having to play the last 22 minutes a man down.
Aided by a slight wind, Westmeath took the lead via Darragh McCormack in the second minute. The visitors were 0-3 to 0-2 ahead when Conal O’Riain buried the sliotar past Gillen in the tenth minute, and when they led by 1-6 to 0-4 after a quarter of an hour they seemed set for a facile win.
However, Westmeath rallied with five unanswered points, courtesy of Eamon Cunneen, who had earlier pointed superbly from a lineball, Peter Clarke (one), and a hat-trick from the lively David Williams, thereby tieing up the scoring, 1-6 to 0-9.
Dublin had slightly the better of the exchanges in the second quarter with Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing on song from frees and open play. Williams was unable to convert his second ‘65’ with time almost up in the first half, leaving Dublin ahead by 1-12 to 0-12 at the break.
The third quarter was a poor spectacle with only four points scored in total – three to the metropolitans from the sticks of Ó Dúlaing (two frees) and Fergal Whitely, and one to Westmeath from Cunneen. Gillen came forward in the 42nd minute to try to blast a goal from a close-range free, but his shot was saved. The red-carding of O’Riaian for an off the ball incident in the 52nd minute gave home fans a little hope of producing a shock, but Dublin still led at that juncture by 1-15 to 0-13.
Williams continued to excel in the Lake County attack and his splendid quickfire brace had the deficit down to just a goal. Dublin never looked in any real danger of dropping their first points of the campaign despite some poor shooting.
Gary Greville was denied what would have been a spectacular goal by Eddie Gibbons on the 70-minute mark. With that, any slim chance of a shock evaporated, and Dublin wrapped up their win with three late unanswered points from David Purcell, Daire Gray, and Whitely.
Scorers for Dublin: D Ó Dúlaing 0-9 (7fs), C O’Riain 1-1, F Whitely 0-3, D Power, David Purcell 0-2 each, D Gray, C Donohoe, Dara Purcell, J Hetherton, B Kenny 0-1 each.
Scorers for Westmeath: D Williams 0-10 (4f, 1‘65’), E Cunneen 0-3 (1s/l), D McCormack, M Cunningham, P Clarke, D O’Reilly, G Greville 0-1 each.
Dublin: Eddie Gibbons; John Bellew, David Lucey, Paddy Smyth; Kevin Burke, Chris Crummey, Daire Gray; Conor Burke, Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing; Conor Donohoe, Conal O’Riain, Darragh Power; Dara Purcell, John Hetherton, Fergal Whitely.
Subs: David Purcell for Hetherton (30), Brian Hayes for Power (46), Brendan Kenny for Dara Purcell (59), Paddy Dunnleavy for Crummey (inj., 60), Ciarán Foley for Kenny (blood, 67).
Westmeath: Jack Gillen; Conor Gaffney, Tommy Doyle, Gary Greville; Johnny Bermingham, Aaron Craig, Eoin Keyes; Peter Clarke, Shane Williams; Robbie Greville, Darragh McCormack, Mark Cunningham; Eamon Cunneen, Niall Mitchell, David Williams.
Subs: Rory Keyes for R Greville (inj., 6), David O’Reilly for Mitchell (46), Joey Boyle for S Williams (48), Davy Glennon for R Keyes (61), Niall O’Brien for Cunneen (63), Adam Ennis for Doyle (blood, 67).
Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford).
