Hurlers ease past Kildare to keep Ring Cup hopes alive

After a bright opening which saw them lead by six points after just eight minutes, Westmeath"s senior hurlers had to withstand a spirited second half rally from Kildare to advance to the semi-final of the Christy Ring Cup. On Saturday afternoon, as the majority of Westmeath fans headed south to support the efforts of the county"s footballers, a solid core of hurling fans made the journey from the midlands to Newbridge and came away quietly confident that the assault on the Ring Cup for a third time in four years is still very much on the cards.Unquestionably, this was a greatly improved display from the disjointed effort witnesssed in Arklow a week previously but again there were shortcomings and one can"t help feeling that the side is not playing to its ability. One could not fault the likes of Paul Greville, Adam Price and Darren McCormack in defence or the energy of Leo Smith and Pat Clarke in midfield, but there is still some concern about the penetration of the forward division, which is heavily reliant on sharpshooter, Brendan Murtagh. Given their pedigree, Murtagh"s clubmates, Paddy Dowdall and Andrew Mitchell, in particular, along with John Shaw and Derek McNicholas have more to contribute and they will need to step up to the mark if Johnny Dooley"s charges are to continue their charge.Murtagh picked off half of his sides twenty two points and with midfielder, Pat Clarke, centre back, Darren McCormack and substitute, Robbie Jackson contributing a further five points, it was a poor return from a vaunted forward line over the course of seventy minutes. More is to be expected.But looking to the positives, a win is a win and a win on the road, away to Kildare at this stage of the campaign is to be welcomed. Next Saturday, though playing on home soil, Westmeath will need to find even more if they are to overcome Derry, surprise conquerors of Down in their quarter-final clash.In the opening minutes on Saturday, Westmeath had a right let-off when Kildare were awarded a semi-penalty. Wing back, David Harney lined up the award but his blistering drive was brilliantly parried by Paul Greville, while a follow-up effort was turned around the post by Mark Briody for a fruitless "65. Two minutes in, a Paddy Dowdall snap shot was gathered by Paul Dermody but Westmeath were soon off and running as Derek McNicholas made the most of a precision Darren McCormack pass to fire over.Things got even better moments later when the Kildare defence went AWOL and Brendan Murtagh picked out an unmarked Paddy Dowdall who had the easiest of tasks to beat Dermody from close range. Tony Murphy should have cancelled out that green flag in the 6th minute but his shot flew over with a goal at his mercy.A quick brace of points from Pat Clarke and Dowdall put six points between the sides but the Lilywhites hit back with minors from top scorer, Oisin Lynch, the second from a placed ball. A trademark Darren McCormack point - charging forward out of defence - was followed by the first of Murtagh"s eleven and when David Ryan misdirected a clearance, Pat Clarke steered the ball between the uprights. His opposite number Richie Hoban immediately negated that score before McNicholas chipped in with his second point.A determined Kildare were almost thrown a lifeline in the 22nd minute when Oisin Lynch drilled a low ball across Mark Briody"s citadel but Adrian McAndrew failed to get a touch. The significane of that miss was underlined a moment later when a defensive slip-up allowed Andrew Mitchell a clear run on goal and he flashed the ball low under a helpless Paul Dermody.That put ten between the sides but Kildare struck for their opening goal on 25 minutes when Tony Murphy squeezed the ball home after Mark Briody had brilliantly stopped Murphy"s initial effort.Eoin Price tapped over a point immediately and after good work by Leo Smith, Brendan Murtagh raised another white flag. Two Oisin Lynch frees tightened the gap but Murtagh converted two frees before the break to leave Westmeath leading by 2-13 to 1-6 at the interval.The visitors knew they could expect a surge from the Lilywhites on the change of ends and the home side hit the ground running. On three minutes, Oisin Lynch availed of a Kieran Divilly pass to rattle Mark Briody"s net and Mark Moloney and then Lynch added minors. Six minutes in, midfielder Richie Hoban dropped the ball deep in the heart of the Westmeath defence and Adrian McAndrew outpaced Paul Greville to flash the ball beyond Briody for goal number three. Westmeath needed some inspiration and Brendan Murtagh lifted the siege with a splendid point. Murtagh then turned provider setting up substitute, Robbie Jackson for a neat point on twelve minutes. The respective centre half forwards, Murtagh and Paul Divilly exchanged points and entering the final quarter, Westmeath were four points to the good.As the excitement mounted, an Andrew Mitchell point, sandwiched between minors from Mark Moloney and Lynch reduced the leeway to three and it was all to play for. The respective freetakers, Murtagh and Lynch swapped placed balls and when the Clonkill clubman put four between them with four minutes remaining, it appeared Westmeath had done enough. Entering the five minutes of injury time which Wexford official, James Owens, allowed, Tony Murphy made it a three-point game but it was Westmeath who were to finish the stronger with late efforts from Murtagh, Pat Clarke and John Shaw, right at the death, ensuring a semi-final berth for the Christy Ring champions.Scorers: Westmeath - B. Murtagh 0-11, A. Mitchell and P. Dowdall 1-1 each, P. Clarke 0-3, D. McNicholas 0-2, D. McCormack, E. Price, R. Jackson and J. Shaw 0-1 each.Kildare - O. Lynch 1-7, T. Murphy 1-2, A. McAndrew 1-0, M. Moloney 0-2, R. Hoban and P. Divilly 0-1 each.Westmeath: Mark Briody; Greg Gavin, Paul Greville, Adam Price; Conor Jordan, Darren McCormack, Brian Connaughton; Leo Smith, Pat Clarke; Eoin Price, Brendan Murtagh, captain, Andrew Mitchell; Derek McNicholas, Paddy Dowdall, John Shaw. Subs. Robbie Jackson for C. Jordan, Brian Smyth for B. Connaughton.Kildare: Paul Dermody; Paudie Reidy, David Ryan, John Doran; David Harney, David Kennedy, Colm Everard; Colm Buggy, Richie Hoban; Tony Murphy, Paul Divilly, Tom Byrne; Adrian McAndrew, Mark Moloney, Oisin Lynch. Subs. Kieran Divilly for C. Buggy, Diarmuid Shinnors for D. Ryan, Michael Divilly for R. Hoban, Mattie Dowd for M. Moloney.Referee: James Owens, Wexford