Westmeath hurlers now in battle

The recent excellent away performances by Westmeath senior hurlers against Antrim and Wexford were quickly forgotten at around 4pm on Saturday afternoon last. A very disappointing Lake County display ended in a fourth league defeat for the home team, with Carlow deserving winners by three points in front of a very small crowd, at a sunny but cold Cusack Park. A soft goal scored by substitute Edward Byrne in the eighth minute of the second half proved to be the decisive score as Carlow avenged their Kehoe Cup final defeat earlier this year. The visitors looked the sharper and hungrier team in a generally lethargic first half and were well worthy of their two-point lead at the interval, on a scoreline of 1-9 to 1-7. With Brendan Murtagh far more influential on the change of ends, he put his wind-assisted side ahead for the first time in the 41st minute with a delightful point and it looked like Eamonn Gallagher"s charges were on course for their first brace of league points. However, Edward Byrne then struck for a vital Carlow goal, his close-range pull deceiving Westmeath netminder Pat Burke and this gave the winners a lead they were never to relinquish, thereby repeating their Christy Ring Cup final win of 2008 over their midland rivals. While the latter game was a titanic struggle, last Saturday"s game was far from a classic with far too many unforced errors on both sides, but the greater urgency and fluency came from the men in the green, yellow and red jerseys. Their place in this ultra-competitive division is already secure for 2010. For Westmeath"s part, they urgently need positive results from their remaining games against Kerry and Laois to add to their single point garnered to date against Antrim, if they are to avoid an unforeseen and ignominious drop to Division Three. This defeat is an undoubted body blow for Eamonn Gallagher and his backroom team and time is running out to garner the necessary points to retain Division Two status. Very few players maintained the high level of performance shown in the very creditable displays against Antrim and Wexford. Kerry is never an easy county in which to pick up points. But points simply must be won next weekend in the Kingdom. SCORERS - Carlow: R. Foley, E. Byrne 1-1 each; C. Doyle 0-3; P. Keogh 0-3 (3f); D. Roberts, A. Gaul 0-2 each; S. Kavanagh 0-2 (2f); R. Dunbar 0-1. Westmeath: B. Murtagh 0-6 (4f); A. Mitchell 0-4 (2 "65"s, 2f); D. McCormack 1-0; B. Smyth 0-2; C. Curley, D. McNicholas and B. Connaughton 0-1 each. CARLOW: Frank Foley; Derek Byrne, Shane Kavanagh, Des Shaw; Barry Cox, John Rogers, Paul Keogh; Edward Coady, Colin Hughes; Ruairí Dunbar, Damien Roberts, Craig Doyle; Paudie Keogh, Robert Foley, Andrew Gaul. Subs: Edward Byrne (for Cox, 23 mins), Hugh P. Byrne (for D. Byrne, yellow card, 31), James Kane (for Hughes, 48), Willie Hickey (for Dunbar, yellow card, 56), John Coady (for Kane, 65). WESTMEATH: Pat Burke; Dermot Curley, Paul Greville, Conor Jordan; John Shaw, Andrew Mitchell, Eoin Price; Paddy Dowdall, Brian Connaughton; Brian Smyth, Adam Price, Ciaran Curley; Derek McNicholas, Brendan Murtagh, Darren McCormack. Subs: Killian Cosgrove (for Jordan, 48 mins), Michael Geraghty (for McNicholas, 68). REFEREE: Tony Carroll (Offaly).