While some may think that the hurling doesn’t get going until next week, they couldn’t be more wrong and we have already had a major shock, thanks to Westmeath.
In the now typical GAA way, the hurling championship got off to a low-key start yesterday. Leinster kicked it off, or threw it in, and with a fair bit of competition (Frankel, Heineken Cup, Champions League final, Katie Taylor and the return of West Ham to the top flight) it is understandable that the two games played yesterday didn’t get much coverage. Anyway, the mysteries of GAA scheduling are an argument for another day but there were two performances yesterday that deserve to be lauded.
First to get some praise should be Westmeath. They were heavy underdogs against Antrim, who had the wonderful Liam Watson in their ranks don’t forget, yet they pulled out a remarkable 0-14 to 0-12 win, and they played the majority of the match with just 14 men.
Hero for the Lake County was Niall O’Brien, as he nabbed eight points, sending his side through to a quarter-final clash with Galway but Westmeath showed some fight to win this. Conor Jordan was dismissed just before half-time and they trailed at the break by 0-8 to 0-3. It seems like the bookies had called this one correctly.
But Westmeath used the wind to great effect in the second 35 to record a shock win. It is a bad day for Antrim hurling, a side that came in with promise after the return of Watson to the Saffron fold, but let’s not take anything away from a great day for Westmeath hurling.
In the other game played yesterday, serious kudos must go to Laois’ Willie Hyland, who scored 13 points, the same as the entire Carlow team as Teddy McCarthy’s side won 0-20 to 0-13 in Dr Cullen Park yesterday.
Hyland has always been a special talent and Carlow had no answer for the Clough-Ballacolla yesterday, who nabbed seven of his scores from play.
It may have been hidden away, but the hurling championship got off to a very good start then. Fingers crossed the standard remains this high all summer.
