Westmeath secure first victory after accounting for Antrim in Division 1 Group B of the Allianz Hurling League

An opportunist goal from former Galway player Davy Glennon in the 60th minute helped Westmeath to pick up their first league points of 2024 with a deserved six-point win over Antrim in wet and windy conditions in Mullingar.

Wind-assisted Westmeath raced into an early three-point lead courtesy of a David Williams free, and scores from play by David O'Reilly and Eoin Keyes, and they were still three points to the good (0-06 to 0-03) when top scorer Williams, who had scored a whopping 2-12 against Tipperary in the last round, converted a 12th-minute '65’.

The gap was down to the bare minimum when Joe Fortune’s charges scored a fortuitous goal from the stick of Keyes in the 23rd minute, Antrim goalie Tiernan Smyth spilling the sliotar under no great pressure.

The visitors quickly responded with a goal of their own when Niall McKenna, who had earlier been denied a three-pointer by the acrobatics of Noel Conaty, batted the ball to the net from close range at the end of a Scott Walsh delivery.

The home team finished the half strongly to lead by 1-12 to 1-08 at the interval. Remarkably, the Glensmen shot no wides in the first half.

Half-time sub Peter Clarke increased Westmeath’s lead with a quality point soon after the change of ends. Their lead was three points (1-15 to 1-12) when impressive sub Glennon found the net on the hour mark, after a Williams free had dropped just short.

Former All-Star nominee Killian Doyle was lively also when sprung from the bench and he chipped in with two points from play. In truth, Westmeath never looked like being overturned in the closing stages despite the best efforts of Darren Gleeson’s troops who were forced to try unsuccessfully to manufacture a face-saving goal in injury-time.

Westmeath: N