Record breaking day for the Déise hurlers in Mullingar
Waterford's Dessie Hutchinson celebrates after the game with Kevin Mahony. Photos: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
A stroll in the Mullingar sunshine as promotion chasing Waterford sent Westmeath down to Division 2A on Sunday afternoon with a facile 31 point victory. 7-34 is the Déise's record total in a National Hurling League game.
Charlie Treen totalled 2-3 from play while substitute Sean Walsh netted two goals in the space of a minute. Kevin Mahony was the star man for the visitors with 1-6. Dessie Hutchinson (1-4) and Patrick Curran (1-2) also caught fire up front. Stephen Bennett finished the afternoon with ten points. The biggest roar of the day was reserved for Austin Gleeson's introduction with twelve minutes remaining. His first taste of inter county action in 666 days.
Waterford are now 70 minutes away from a return to Division 1A. Another win against Offaly in Fraher Field on Saturday, March 22 will secure top flight hurling for 2026.
Déise boss Peter Queally made six changes from the team that defeated Dublin the previous week. Billy Nolan, Seamus Fitzgerald, Gavin Fives, Charlie Treen, Jack Prendergast and Patrick Curran were all named in the starting fifteen. All Stars Austin Gleeson and Tadhg De Burca were listed on the bench.
Westmeath won the toss but elected to play against the breeze in the first half. Dessie Hutchinson opened the scoring after just 15 seconds. Late inclusion Charlie Treen added another 35 seconds later. Killian Doyle missed his first free but quickly made amends. Off a booming Billy Nolan puckout, Patrick Curran and Jack Prendergast set up a point for Conor Sheahan.
Stephen Bennett shot into the ground at the Dunnes Stores End and Westmeath worked the ball up to David O'Reilly who split the posts from an acute angle and levelled the scores (0-4 apiece).
On eleven minutes, Curran passed to Bennett who slipped the sliotar into Kevin Mahony. The Ballygunner attacker belted past Ciaran O'Brien. Doyle hit back with a point straight away. Mark Cunningham then rattled the crossbar before Niall O'Brien blasted over.
Kevin Mahony and Bennett raised white flags before Hutchinson and Prendergast sent Curran through one on one and the Dungarvan man made it two goals in two games.
At the other end, Doyle missed three frees for the hosts. The visitors fired seven unanswered points to ease thirteen ahead. Bennett converted two frees, Curran shot two from play with Mahony, Treen and Hutchinson also on target.
Doyle got one back from a free before Mahony assisted a Hutchinson single.
On 26 minutes, Treen found the roof of the Westmeath net (3-15 to 0-8). The Abbeyside man helped himself to 1-3 in the first half. Kevin Mahony increased his first half tally to 1-3. Mark Fitzgerald also got in on the act after Doyle sent his fourth free off target. Two minutes into added time, Westmeath turned over the ball in front of goal and Treen booted home his second major. 2-3 for the Abbeyside man by the break as Peter Queally's men led by 22 points at half time (4-21 to 0-11).
A last ditch tackle from Robbie Greville denied Patrick Curran a goal at the start of the second period. On 48 minutes, a Jack Prendergast solo run split open the Westmeath rearguard. He offloaded to Dessie Hutchinson who fired to the far corner (5-24 to 0-14). Prendergast, Kevin Mahony and Stephen Bennett kept the scoreboard ticking. Austin Gleeson's return to inter county hurling was greeted by the huge roar from the away fans in Mullingar.
With six minutes left, Ciaran O'Brien saved from Kevin Mahony but substitute Sean Walsh whipped home. Off the next attack, the Fourmilewater man bore down on goal again and buried the ball to the bottom corner. Kevin Mahony got the record breaking point for the visitors in the last minute of normal time. Shane and Stephen Bennett put the icing on the cake.
