Carlow senior hurling team manager Tom Mullally. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
Joe McDonagh Cup
Carlow 7-23 Westmeath 4-22
By Gerry Buckley at TEG Cusack Park
A wonderful wind-assisted display in the first half was the key as Carlow maintained their drive to reach the Joe McDonagh Cup final by defeating their hosts Westmeath in a very high-scoring game played in sun-drenched TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar.
Carlow totally dominated the first half with a useful wind behind them. They led by 0-5 to 0-1 with 10 minutes elapsed. Westmeath got a lifeline when former Galway player Davy Glennon scored an opportunist goal in the 11th minute. However, the Barrowsiders responded instantly when Chris Nolan found the net at the other end.
Carlow started to pull away with four unanswered points, two of them from wing back Jack McCullagh. In the 17th minute, Marty Kavanagh goaled with a low shot from 35 metres out but, remarkably, a green flag was again being waved at the opposite end within 30 seconds when Mark Cunningham goaled with aplomb.
The score was now 2-9 to 2-1 in Carlow’s favour and they continued to tag on points with Kavanagh on fire from open play and placed balls – he finished the first half with a personal haul of 2-8 to his name.
It was 2-12 to 2-2 when Nolan doubled his goal tally in the 24th minute, availing of one of many unforced errors by the Lake County rearguard. A minute later, Kavanagh was fouled close to goal and he duly dusted himself down to bury the resultant penalty. Tom Mullally’s charges led by 4-16 to 2-4 at the break.
When that man Kavanagh found the net for the third time directly from the throw-in to the second moiety, Carlow led by a whopping 21 points and looked set to win by a record margin. However, Seoirse Bulfin’s troops displayed a lot more heart - and no little skill - from then on, with marquee forwards Killian Doyle and Niall O’Brien, as well as relative newcomers David O’Reilly and Cunningham, belatedly finding the target.
A goal apiece in quick succession from Peter Clarke and O’Brien (from a penalty after he had been fouled) gave the home fans hope. For their part, Carlow were struggling for scores and the gap was down to seven points (5-19 to 4-15) midway through the half. O’Brien was then very narrowly wide from a goal opportunity and this gave the visitors a lift at the right time.
Points from a Doyle free and from play by sub Kevin Regan further reduced the deficit, but James Doyle goaled against the run of play in the 58th minute and the gap now looked too much for Westmeath, one of the pre-competition favourites who now exit the race for the tier two silverware.
Westmeath gave it all they had in the closing stages, but any lingering doubt about the outcome was dispelled in added-time when Fiachra Fitzpatrick scored the winners’ seventh goal. Sub Jon Nolan came close to adding an eighth, but had to be satisfied with a point.
Scorers for Carlow: M Kavanagh 3-12 (1-0pen, 0-8fs, 0-2‘65’s), C Nolan 2-2, James Doyle 1-4, F Fitzpatrick 1-0, J McCullagh 0-2, C Whelan, John Doyle, J Nolan 0-1 each.
Scorers for Westmeath: K Doyle 0-8 (3fs, 1‘65’), M Cunningham 1-4, N O’Brien 1-3 (1-0pen), P Clarke 1-1, D Glennon 1-0, K Regan, D O’Reilly, D McCormack (1f) 0-2 each.
Carlow: Brian Tracey; Paul Doyle, Dion Wall, Tony Lawlor; Evan Kealy, Kevin McDonald, Jack McCullagh; Ciaran Whelan, Fiachra Fitzpatrick; John Doyle, James Doyle, Donagh Murphy; Chris Nolan, Marty Kavanagh, Conor Kehoe.
Subs: Jon Nolan for Murphy (51), Paddy Boland for Kehoe (58), Jack Treacy for John Doyle (60), Ted Joyce for C Nolan (64), Niall Bolger for McCullagh (70).
Westmeath: Ciaran O’Brien; Conor Gaffney, Tommy Doyle, Gary Greville; Eoin Keyes, Robbie Greville, David Hickey; Davy Glennon, Eamon Cunneen; David O’Reilly, Darragh McCormack, Mark Cunningham; Peter Clarke, Niall O’Brien, Killian Doyle.
Subs: Kevin Regan for G Greville (28), Rory Keyes for Glennon (34), Niall Mitchell for Cunneen (46), Joey Boyle for Mitchell (inj., 58), Aaron Craig for Hickey (63).
Referee: James Owens (Wexford).
