By Declan Rooney at Cusack Park
Westmeath 2-19 Carlow 2-17
Westmeath got their Leinster SHC qualifying campaign off to a winning start as goals from Brendan Murtagh and Alan Devine gave them a 2-19 to 2-17 win over Carlow at Cusack Park.
After being dominated in the opening half, Carlow were fortunate to go in level at the interval thanks to goals from Martin Kavanagh and Seamus Murphy. However, Michael Ryan's side dominated as the rain poured in the second period with Derek McNicholas the inspirational figure for Westmeath.
Full-forward Martin Kavanagh hit 1-07 for Carlow, but once Murtagh rattled the net with a brilliant goal in the 50th minute, even a late rally from Carlow couldn't deny Westmeath victory.
With the top two sides from the group qualifying for the Leinster championship and the bottom side to be relegated to the Christy Ring Cup next season, there was plenty to fight for and both sides fought hard for what would be a crucial two points in the division.
And after this defeat Carlow now need a win against Laois next week to retain their chances of progression and to avoid the drop to the Christy Ring.
The action was fiery from the start as the Westmeath forwards forced an early turnover and a Niall O'Brien point in the first minute, but Carlow soon found their feet with points from Edward Coady and Martin Kavanagh.
Eoin Price levelled the game after ten minutes at 0-2 each with a super point from the left touchline and the sides swapped points until the 20th minute when Westmeath hit two in a minute from corner-forward Darragh Clinton to move 0-5 to 0-4 ahead.
The Lakesmen were worthy of that lead, but they fell behind in the 21st minute when Martin Kavanagh made the most of a loose puck-out from Peter Collins and rattled past the keeper for a 1-4 to 0-5 lead.
That setback seemed to lift Westmeath though, and with Alan Devine a growing influence at wing-forward they had retaken the lead two minutes later. Points from Brendan Murtagh and Niall O'Brien levelled the game for the fifth time, before Devine fought hard along the endline and hit the net from close range.
Four points in a row from the home side gave them a healthy five point cushion as the half-time whistle approached, but Seamus Murphy's injury-time goal and points either side of it from Craig Wall and Martin Kavanagh somehow levelled the game at the break, 1-12 to 2-9.
After that setback Westmeath did well to recover at the interval and McNicholas landed his first point three minutes after the restart and Murtagh tagged on a second moments later to give the home side a two-point advantage.
Martin Kavanagh and Seamus Murphy hit two points in a row for Carlow to level the game once more, but the game's crucial score arrived in the 50th minute when McNicholas caught Shane McGovern's puck-out, fired a quick pass into Murtagh, who shrugged off John Rogers and blasted the ball to the top corner.
It was a stunning goal, worth of winning any game, but points immediately from O'Brien and McNicholas gave Westmeath a much needed cushion.
Carlow went on to hit the last three points of the game to put two between the sides, but they were unable to force the goal they needed in injury-time as Westmeath held on.
Westmeath: P Collins; S Power, T Doyle, A McGrath; A Craig, A Clarke, G Greville; C Boyle, E Price (0-02); A Devine (1-03), D McNicholas (0-03), R Greville; N O'Brien (0-07, 0-02f), B Murtagh (1-02), D Clinton (0-02).
Subs used: S McGovern for Collins (h-t), J Clarke for McGrath (51 mins), E Corrigan for Clinton (72 mins).
Carlow: K Kehoe; R Coady, J Rogers, A Corcoran; E Coady (0-01), D English, G Coady; D Byrne, C Wall (0-02); Sean Murphy (0-03), E Byrne, J M Nolan (0-01); J Kavanagh, M Kavanagh (1-07, 0-04f, 0-02'65), Seamus Murphy (1-02).
Subs used: P Coady (0-01) for J M Nolan (55 mins), D O'Neill for Wall (68 mins).
Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow).
