Dublin make light of red card to ease past Westmeath

Despite producing a patchy performance throughout and having to play the last 22 minutes a man down after the sending off of Conal O'Riain, Dublin still maintained their 100% start to life in Division 1B of the National Hurling League with a seven-point win over Westmeath in Mullingar.

Remarkably, Dublin’s John Hetherton was booked after 30 seconds following a challenge on Westmeath goalie Jack Gillen. Aided by a slight wind, Westmeath took the lead via Darragh McCormack in the second minute. The visitors were 0-03 to 0-02 ahead when Conal O’Riain buried the sliotar past Gillen in the tenth minute, and when they led by 1-06 to 0-04 after a quarter of an hour they seemed set for a facile win.

However, Westmeath rallied with five unanswered points, courtesy of Eamon Cunneen, who had earlier pointed superbly from a lineball, Peter Clarke (one), and a hat-trick from the lively David Williams - two of them from frees - thereby tieing up the scoring at 1-06 to 0-09.

Dublin had slightly the better of the exchanges in the second quarter with Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing on song from frees and open play. Williams was unable to convert his second '65’ with time almost up in the first half, leaving Dublin ahead by 1-12 to 0-12 at the break.

The third quarter was a poor spectacle with only four points scored in total – three to the Metropolitans from the sticks of Ó Dúlaing (two frees) and Fergal Whitely (one from play), and one to Westmeath from Cunneen. Gillen came forward in the 42nd minute to try and blast a goal from a close-range free, but his shot was saved. The red-carding of O’Riaian for an off-the-ball incident in the 52nd minute gave home fans a little hope of producing a shock, but Dublin still led at that juncture by 1-15 to 0-13.

Wil