Round-up: Allianz HL D2 action

Allianz Hurling League Division Two

Sunday

Westmeath 0-25 Meath 1-19

Saturday

Kerry 5-21 London 1-21

Derry 2-25 Mayo 0-21

Westmeath didn’t have things all their own way in TEG Cusack Park but they just about held off their neighbours to secure two crucial points in Division Two of the Allianz Hurling League, handing the Royals their first defeat of the season in the process.

Killian Doyle and David Williams led the scoring charge for the Lake County in the opening half and they looked to be in control, 0-18 to 0-10, when Josh Coll rounded off a run of three points in a row for the home side at the start of the second half.

Mikey Cole hit back with a point and goalkeeper Gavin King slammed a penalty past his opposite number Seán Jackson, but again Westmeath settled with points from Doyle, Eoin Keyes and Eamon Cunneen.

Meath were the better side for the closing 20 minutes however and probably could have taken something from the game were it not for a crucial Shane Williams intervention to deny Cole a goal just when they were beginning to build momentum.

Kerry moved to the top of the Division Two table in the Allianz hurling league after slamming five goals past London, four in the first half as they made sure of the two league points before the half-time interval at Austin Stack Park.

While Kerry were on top defensively in the opening half, they were impeccably accurate at the other end of the Tralee pitch, hitting 1-9 from their first 10 scoring chances. Daniel Casey found the net while Oisín Maunsell, Ronan Walsh and Jordan Brick all weighed in from open play for the side that are now the highest scorers across the five divisions, at least until Sunday's schedule of games is completed.

Maunsell, Michael Slattery and Brick each found the net in the 10 minutes before half-time where Kerry effectively wrapped up the game by taking a 12-point lead into the interval on a day when there was no strong breeze influencing the contest.

That lead was briefly extended to 17 points before London improved in the final quarter, hitting the net through Seán Glynn while Fionn Ó Rían Broin brought his tally to 0-10, all from placed balls.

Division Two of the Allianz League has effectively separated into two mini-divisions, with Kerry competing with the midlands duo of Laois and Westmeath for promotion while the other four sides look nervously at the bottom two slots in the table. Derry took a huge leap towards ensuring their survival with a win over Mayo at Celtic Park, their first win of this year’s campaign.

Mayo had the better of the early exchanges with Cormac Enright picking off an excellent point to end a run of three in a row to start the contest, while the visitors led by 0-9 to 0-8 after Cormac Phillips scored from play 10 minutes before half-time.

That was where the contest turned as Derry scored 2-4 before the interval, both goals coming from Shea Cassidy. Cassidy’s first crowned a wonderful team move involving Deaghlan Folean and Eamon Cassidy, the latter was a poacher’s finish when Kevin Duffy blocked Cormac O’Doherty’s shot from going over the bar.

Phillips knocked over the first score of the second half to reduce the margin to six but that was as good as it got for Mayo who never went closer, and a late run of points from Patrick Turner, Darragh McGilligan, Deaghlan Foley and Fintan Bradley made it a double-figure margin by the time Peter Owens sounded the long whistle.