Despite playing the last half an hour a man down after the sending off of the influential PJ Scully, Laois were worthy winners against Westmeath in the battle of the two bottom teams in Division 1B of the National Hurling League on a heavy pitch in Mullingar.
Westmeath led by 0-02 to 0-01 after eight minutes, both of the home team's scores coming from frees by David Williams, either side of a well-worked point from Patrick Purcell. Ironically, Williams untypically went on to miss several scoreable frees as the half progressed. Laois took the lead in the ninth minute when a long run from Aidan Corby teed up Mark Dowling for a well-taken goal from close range.
Four unanswered points restored the home team’s advantage courtesy of Peter Clarke, Eamon Cunneen, Shane Williams and Mark Cunningham. Laois responded with three points – two of them from PJ Scully frees – to edge ahead by 1-04 to 0-06, before David Dooley made the most of sloppy Westmeath play to set up Scully for a fine goal in the 23rd minute.
The Lake County had slightly the better of the final 12 minutes of the half, outscoring their opponents by 0-03 with two Williams frees and a great individual score from Eoin Keyes to 0-02, a great angled point from Purcell and a neat effort by Jer Quinlan. Laois led by 2-06 to 0-09 at the break.
Corby doubled his tally in fine style some 90 seconds after play resumed and it got better for Tommy Fitzgerald’s troops just two minutes later when Scully whipped the sliotar to the net at the end of a long free taken by new goalkeeper Cathal Dunne, who deputised impressively for long-standing netminder Enda Rowland. Laois led by 3-09 to 0-11 and looked well in control until Scully got his marching orders in the 44th minute for an off-the-ball incident.
Buoyed by this, Seoirse Bulfin’s charges came right back into contention a minute later when sub Niall O’Brien whipped the ball past Dunne after the latter had initially pulled off a great save from David Williams. However, a bad blunder from goalie Jack Gillen gifted Laois their fourth goal in the 51st minute, Quinlan the scorer on this occasion.
Laois now led by 4-11 to 1-12, but Westmeath rallied by scoring six points without reply by the hour mark, three of them from Williams, including his only score from play.
The gap was now just two points, but the winners hurled with great determination in the closing stages with sub Aaron Dunphy on song from free-taking duties, and they eased their relegation worries somewhat by firing over the last four points of the contest, the last of them a great solo score from sub Tomás Keyes deep into added-time. For their part, Westmeath look in very real danger of making the drop down to the third tier.
Laois: Cathal Dunne; Padraic Dunne, Lee Cleere, Donnchadh Hartnett; Fiachra C Fennell, Cody Comerford, Jordan Walshe (0-02); Aidan Corby (0-02), Patrick Purcell (0-02); David Dooley (0-01), PJ Scully (2-02, 0-02f), Eanna Lyons; Jer Quinlan (1-01), Charles Dwyer, Mark Dowling (1-00). Subs: Aaron Dunphy (0-05, 0-05f) for Dowling (47), John Lennon for Corby (53), Tomás Keyes (0-01) for Lyons (53), Willie Dunphy (0-02) for Dwyer (56).
Westmeath: Jack Gillen; Conor Gaffney, Johnny Bermingham, Gary Greville; Shane Williams (0-01), Aaron Craig, Eoin Keyes (0-01); Peter Clarke (0-02), Eamon Cunneen (0-01); Robbie Greville (0-01), David Williams (0-08, 0-07f), Mark Cunningham (0-03); David O’Reilly, Darragh McCormack, Niall Mitchell. Subs: Niall O’Brien (1-00) for Cunneen (h-t), Darragh Clinton (0-02) for McCormack (h-t), Davy Glennon for Mitchell (47), Joey Boyle for Craig (52), Rory Keyes for Clarke (69).
Referee: Colum Cunning (Antrim).
