Mulvaney’s class earns 14-man minor hurlers a draw

Electric Ireland Leinster minor hurling championship: Westmeath 0-16, Meath 2-10

A last-gasp point from top scorer Joe Mulvaney salvaged a draw for Westmeath in an absorbing Leinster MHC opener against Meath in sunny Boardsmill this afternoon.

By the 12th minute, Noel Conaty’s charges were a man down and seven points adrift, but they dug deep to turn out a gritty team display. Pound for pound, they had the better hurlers on the day, with Meath heavily reliant on getting ball into pacey corner forward Kyle Ennis.

As Westmeath found out in the opening minutes, Ennis’s cocktail of speed and accuracy was difficult to handle. But as the game developed, the visitors’ half back line and midfield won most of the key duels, cutting off the supply of ball and leaving Ennis and full forward Evan Nolan feeding off scraps for long stretches.

At the other end, Mulvaney’s accuracy proved crucial for the Maroons. Apart from missing two first half frees thanks to a wicked cross-field breeze, the Raharney clubman didn’t put a foot wrong.

In Jack Duncan, he had a capable strike partner, while Peter Murphy and Brian McCabe put in tireless shifts winning ball and creating opportunities.

Meath led 2-2 to 0-1 after 12 minutes thanks to goals from Ennis and Nolan, with Sean Jackson (Westmeath) dismissed early on. However, the Maroons recovered and trailed by only two (2-5 to 0-9) at the break, with Mulvaney leading the scoring.

Westmeath led for the first time after another Mulvaney free in the 42nd minute, and with the visitors getting most of the breaks, they looked the more likely to leave Boardsmill with the win. The goal they needed to kill the game off didn’t materialise, however.

The wheels nearly came off when Meath burst into life in stoppage time, with two quick-fire points from Ennis giving the Royals a narrow lead.

But Mulvaney’s timely puck from the wing prevented what would have been a harsh defeat for the Lake County.

Scorers – Westmeath: J Mulvaney 0-13 (10f), J Duncan 0-2, B McCabe 0-1. Meath: K Ennis 1-9 (0-7f), E Nolan 1-1.

Westmeath: Alex Little; John Fry, Jack Murtagh, Connaire Martin; Ben Murphy, Ivan Smith (capt.), Craig Neville; Calum McKeogh, Darragh Smith; Brian McCabe, Peter Murphy, Sean Jackson; Jack Duncan, Johnny Martin, Joe Mulvaney. Rest of panel: Conn O’Hara, Conor Sheridan, Conor Leech, Johnny Ryan, Tiernan Purcell, Diarmuid Murtagh, Nathan Sleator, Billy Moffatt, Nathan Cornally.

Meath: Luke Gallagher; Harry Cahill, Kian Douglas, John Fitzharris; Cian Colhoun, Calum Casserly, Jamie Duffy; Daniel Boyd, Cormac Doyle; Shane McCormack, Daragh Heffernan, George Douglas; Kyle Ennis, Evan Nolan, Ronan Conheady (capt.). Subs used: Eoghan Nugent for Duffy (inj., 8), Alex Brady for Douglas (inj., 30 + 4), Cathal Regan for McCormack (49), Conor Healy for Conheady (53).

Ref: Sean Michael Maher (Offaly).