Westmeath hurlers rout Rossies in opening defence of Christy Ring Cup

Westmeath"s senior hurlers put aside the ignominy of their recent walloping at the hands of Dublin in the Leinster senior hurling championship, when they took the first step to defending their Christy Ring Cup title by trouncing an injury-hit Roscommon side in the first round at Cusack Park on Saturday evening last. Westmeath have been hit by the absence of a number of their own top names, but signs of the county"s old guard shone bright when the likes of John Shaw, Robbie Jackson, Brendan Murtagh and Andrew Mitchell turned out top-drawer performances. The stinging Dublin defeat aside, Westmeath seemed to be up against it off the field before Sunday"s throw-in, with a small home crowd seemingly outnumbered by the visitors. However, that apathy didn"t spread to the field of play, where Johnny Dooley"s charges romped to victory in style. Westmeath are now the team to beat in Group 2A, and their rout of the Nicky Rackard Cup holders will surely place them among the favourites to retain their Christy Ring Cup title this year. By half-time, the game was dead and buried, with former Ring Cup winning captain John Shaw delivering all but one of his tally of 1-5 before the break. Goals from Derek McNicholas and Paddy Dowdall also came during the opening moiety, as the Lakesiders built up an unassailable 3-13 to 0-3 advantage. Westmeath dropped a gear in the second half, allowing Roscommon to stabilise somewhat. But despite some superb hurling from hard-working midfielders Gerry Fallon and Mervyn Connaughton, there was no way that David McConn"s men overturn their first-half drubbing. Manager Johnny Dooley will be happy with his team"s performance, particularly with that of his forwards, all of whom made the scoresheet on Saturday afternoon. John Shaw and Robbie Jackson were particularly impressive. But he will be particularly happy with his defence, as Roscommon never really looked like breaching through a full-back line well policed by Adam Price and Paul Greville. In the half-back line, Eoin Price functioned as a seventh attacker on some occasions, while Darren McCormack was solid as usual, and contributed the score of the game. The Maroons will enjoy a bye next weekend before they take on Wicklow in the next round on Saturday week. In light of Saturday"s performance, they will be expected to continue their winning ways when they visit the Garden of Ireland. John Shaw got the Maroons off to a good start in the third minute, when he shot over a fine point from the left wing. His effort was cancelled out by a free from Roscommon"s Shane Curley, but Shaw was on hand again with five minutes gone, delivering his second point of the afternoon. Robbie Jackson found his range under pressure to put two between the sides, before Paddy Dowdall set up Shaw for a potential goal, but the Raharney men drilled his shot over the bar, glancing the crossbar along the way. Shaw added another within seconds to increase the Maroons" lead to four points. Jackson added his second after being set up by Brendan Murtagh, before Castlepollard"s Darren McCormack delivered what was arguably the score of the game - a free from 85 metres, shot over with power and precision after Eoin Price had been fouled. McCormack"s point lifted Westmeath to new heights, and this remarkable score was followed by another sucker-punch. McCormack was involved once again, dropping a free into the danger area, before Derek McNicholas picked up the sliothar and crashed it to the net from close range. Roscommon were down but by no means out, and responded positively, with consecutive points from midfielders Gerry Fallon and Mervyn Connaughton. However, this would be the sum total of the Rossies" output for the remainder of the half, as Westmeath took command in the midst of a rain-soaked Cusack Park. Robbie Jackson pucked his third point of the game to make it 1-8 to 0-3 in favour of Westmeath, turning impressively to score after catching a long ball from Eoin Price. Brendan Murtagh extended the lead with a long range free, moments before Roscommon"s Keith McDermott picked up the game"s first yellow card - evidence of the Rossies" growing frustration. Murtagh notched up his first point from play before Eoin Price (Westmeath) and Roscommon substitute Tomás Lennon joined McDermott on the yellow card list. Lennon"s card came just moments after he entered the fray. When play resumed, Westmeath continued where they left off, with Castletown-Geoghegan"s Robbie Jackson squeezing in a delightful score from a tight angle. On 29 minutes, Roscommon threatened Westmeath"s goal for the first time, with Raharney netminder Jimmy Greville stopping a shot from Keith McDermott and the ball was cleared by the determined Eoin Price Meanwhile, the scores kept coming for the Maroons, with Brendan Murtagh firing over a 65 metre award, before the Lakesiders hit their second goal. After a majestic, sweeping move which started in the Westmeath defence, Brendan Murtagh set up his Clonkill colleague, Paddy Dowdall, who fired a terrific shot to the net from 15 metres. Over half a minute later, John Shaw made it 3-12 to 0-3 with the Lake County"s third goal, exacerbating the misery of a dejected Roscommon outfit. To add insult to injury, Eoin Price shot over a magnificent long range point after receiving a pass from Pat Clarke, and 'damage limitation' was the key phrase as the Rossies prepared for the second half. Despite their quandary, the men in blue and gold started the half in good spirit, and this was repaid when Gerry Fallon found his range three minutes after the restart. But Paddy Dowdall set up Brendan Murtagh for another point, before Andrew Mitchell pucked two fine points as the Clonkill gang took control. John Shaw increased his tally to 1-5 when he found himself unmarked on 43, before Mitchell set up his Clonkill team-mate Eoin Price for his second point of the game. But Roscommon settled into their stride a little, scoring four unanswered points. Mervyn Connaughton (a free), Gerry Fallon, substitute John Moran and corner-forward Tomás Seale found their range in a five minute purple patch, before Leo Smyth finished off a solo with a fine point to break the Rossies" spell. This was followed by two gilt-edged chances at either end. John Shaw missed a glorious chance for a major when he failed to connect with a centre from Derek McNicholas, while Andrew Mitchell"s follow-up effort was blocked. At the other end, sub Brendan Hanley would have been through for Roscommon"s first goal, but for a timely intervention from Paul Greville. Westmeath opened up a 3-20 to 0-8 lead with Robbie Jackson"s fifth point, while a third minor from Roscommon"s Mervyn Connaughton was cancelled out by a free from Andrew Mitchell. Captain Shane Curley dropped over a decent point from the left wing, but Mitchell was on hand to convert a free once more. Mitchell found the mark with another free in the closing stages, but Roscommon finished strong with points from Alan Cunniffe and Tomás Lennon, and a third free from Curley. SCORERS: Westmeath - J. Shaw 1-5, R. Jackson and A. Mitchell (3f) 0-5 each, B. Murtagh 0-4 (1f, 1 65"), D. McNicholas and P. Dowdall 1-0 each, E. Price 0-2, D. McCormack (f) and L. Smyth 0-1 each. Roscommon: G. Fallon, M. Connaughton (1f), S. Curley (3f) 0-3 each; J. Moran, T. Seale, A. Cunniffe and T. Lennon 0-1 each. WESTMEATH: Jimmy Greville; Greg Gavin, Paul Greville, Adam Price; Eoin Price, Darren McCormack, Brian Connaughton; Leo Smyth, Pat Clarke; Andrew Mitchell, Brendan Murtagh (capt.), Paddy Dowdall; John Shaw, Derek McNicholas, Robbie Jackson. Subs: Ciaran Curley for Murtagh (55), Philip Gilsenan for Smyth (55), Andrew Dermody for Shaw (57), Noel Gavin for A. Price (59). ROSCOMMON: David Connell; Owen Browne, Colm Moran, Shane Curley; Kenny Doolan, Micheál Keaveney, Liam Murray (capt.); Gerry Fallon, Mervyn Connaughton; Liam Casey, Keith McDermott, Alan Cunniffe; Tomás Seale, Brendan Kelly, Shane Sweeney. Subs: Tomás Lennon for Casey (25), John Moran for Sweeney (h-t), Brendan Hanley for Seale (49), Pádraig Dolan for Connell (50), Mark McLoughlin for Murray (55). Referee: Alan Kelly (Galway).