Footballers' win caps memorable weekend

A last gasp point from Paul Bannon lifted Westmeath's senior footballers out of the doldrums in Mullingar on Sunday last, earning the Lake County their first brace of points in the Allianz National Football League Division 2.The returning John Heslin (0-7) and DCU captain, Kieran Gavin impressed as Pat Flanagan's troops recorded a memorable 0-14 to 0-13 victory over Galway - despite not being given a ghost of a chance by the bookies.The win capped a wonderful weekend for GAA in Westmeath, with the hurlers of St Joseph's Secondary School, Rochfortbridge also trumping Galway opposition in the All-Ireland Colleges' Senior 'B' hurling championship semi-final in Banagher on Saturday.Denis Kelly's charges, led by the Raharney contingent of Robbie Greville and talented twins, Ciaran and Killian Doyle, defeated Mercy College, Woodford 4-5 to 0-9 to book an All-Ireland final place against St Mary's, Belfast on March 24.The victory means that there will be two Westmeath teams contesting an All-Ireland final in the space of a week, the other being Garrycastle, who face Crossmaglen Rangers in the All-Ireland club SFC final in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day.It wasn't such a successful weekend for Westmeath on other fronts; the ladies lost their first game in a long while, when they were edged 1-12 to 1-10 by Leitrim in the Bord Gais Energy Ladies' NFL Division 3, while the county's minor footballers, under the direction of Tommy Carr, lost their opening Leinster Minor Football League game to Offaly on a score of 2-9 to 1-3.Read all about these matches and more in this week's Westmeath Examiner.