Westmeath 1-12 Limerick 4-15
Favourites Limerick lived on their wits in Mullingar before registering a flattering 12-point victory to extend their interest in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship qualifiers by another week.
Goals from Kevin Downes, Shane Dowling, Paul Browne and substitute Adrian Breen proved decisive though it was far from the anticipated cakewalk.
Like Wexford in the Leinster championship, Limerick struggled to put dogged Westmeath away and there was just four points between them with seven minutes remaining.
Limerick were forced to call big guns Dowling and Cian Lynch ashore due to poor performances and relied on substitute Declan Hannon and Breen to ease them over the winning line.
Hannon fired three points in the final ten minutes, while Breen's 69th-minute goal was the insurance score at Cusack Park.
Aside from the unconvincing round 1 display, Limerick also lost corner-back Tom Condon to a worrying AC shoulder joint injury.
Bookmakers suggested beforehand that Limerick were 15 points a better side though such a gap wasn't apparent, particularly in the first-half.
With half an hour on the clock raging underdogs Westmeath led by two points after a terrific opening.
They initially fell 2-02 to 0-02 down after early Limerick goals from Downes and Dowling.
But Limerick then went almost 20 minutes without a score and Westmeath clinically reeled off 1-05 without reply to take control of the game.
Brendan Murtagh got Westmeath going with back to back scores before an excellent 18th-minute Cormac Boyle goal that lent huge energy to their challenge.
Boyle finished superbly after racing onto a Niall O'Brien lay off following earlier good work by Alan Devine and Joe Clarke.
Westmeath kept their foot on the gas with further points from Murtagh, Boyle and McNicholas to move 1-07 to 2-02 clear.
Limerick did have their chances but Dowling wasted two decent goal opportunities while Lynch and David Breen fired just wide of the posts too.
The sense that Limerick were playing well within themselves was confirmed as they concluded the half with four points in a row.
Dowling, Sean Tobin and Browne were all on the mark to leave Limerick with a slender 2-06 to 1-07 interval lead.
Things became ominous for Westmeath when Limerick added a third goal within a minute of the restart.
Browne applied the finish from close range but it was all about Graeme Mulcahy who picked him out with a wonderful pass from the end line.
Suddenly Limerick were five clear again and in the ascendancy. They would extend that lead to 12 by full-time though it failed to tell the story of the game.
Westmeath were right there at the hour mark but failed to score from then on as Limerick finally pulled clear.
Limerick: N Quaid; T Condon, R McCarthy, S O'Brien; P O'Brien, G O'Mahony, W McNamara; J Ryan, P Browne (1-01); D Breen, S Tobin (0-03), S Dowling (1-03, 0-01f); G Mulcahy (0-02), K Downes (1-02), C Lynch.
Subs: D Morrissey for Condon, T O'Brien (0-01) for Lynch, D Hannon (0-03, 0-02f) for Tobin, A Breen (1-00) for Dowling.
Westmeath: S McGovern; S Power, T Doyle, K Duncan; A Craig, A Clarke, A McGrath; C Boyle (1-02), J Clarke; A Devine (0-01), D McNicholas (0-02), R Greville; N O'Brien, B Murtagh (0-06, 0-02f), L Varley.
Subs: D Clinton for O'Brien, E Corrigan (0-01) for McNicholas, K Murphy for Craig, N Mitchell for Power.
Referee: P O'Dwyer (Carlow).
