West' are best as Lake boys sink Mayo

Mayo’s one year stint in Division 2 of the National Hurling League has ended without the Green and Red recording a victory, as Westmeath ran out emphatic 26 points winners in Saturday’s Round 7 clash at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar.

Mayo entered the game knowing that a win would actually keep them in the division for another year but it never looked a realistic prospect, and what the Lake County boys scored in the opening 26 minutes the home side couldn’t manage by full-time, with the game finishing 2-37 to 1-14 in favour of the Leinster outfit.

Six players had scored for Kevin O’Brien’s side by the 17th minute, as Westmeath led 0-11 to 0-2, and it could have been worse for Mayo had goalkeeper Kevin Duffy not saved a goal attempt by Matthew Cunningham, an early replacement for the injured Dean Ennis.

Ryan Duffy had struck all three Mayo points by the time Joseph Burke flicked home a goal from Oisin Greally’s delivery but that wasn’t enough to stunt Wesmeath’s momentum and by half-time the highly-accurate Midlanders were 0-21 to 1-6 ahead, with captain David Williams and full-forward Darragh McCormack contributing 10 points between them.

McCormack bagged the away side’s opening goal on 49 minutes and then drove a penalty over the crossbar before corner-forward Peter Clarke added a second major on 62 minutes, Ryan Duffy – who finished with 10 points – tried valiantly to keep some respectability on the scoreboard for Mayo, for whom Eoin Delaney also picked off three points. But it was another tough day at the office for a Mayo side who will hope that experiencing the pace and intensity of Division 2 hurling will stand to them come the Nicky Rackard Cup.

See Tuesday’s Western People for full coverage.