Points shared in lacklustre senior championship clash

A share of the spoils was probably a fair outcome in the first of last Sunday evening"s Westmeath senior hurling championship double-header in Cusack Park, when two of the county"s traditional kingpins, Lough Lene Gaels and Castletown-Geoghegan played out a draw in a less-than-inspiring contest.Perhaps it was the damp conditions, or simply a hangover from having watched Waterford"s enthralling All-Ireland semi-final win earlier in the afternoon, but the small attendance never really got behind the teams and the entertainment content was small, from start to finish. There was never much between the sides, but the Collinstown men looked the more likely winners for most of the second half, until Castletown substitute Mark McDermott slotted home a vital goal in the 55th minute, with a Robbie Jackson free gaining parity for the black and ambers in the dying seconds of normal time.The Gaels started very brightly and were four points to the good with less than six minutes on the clock. A converted free by Stephen Bardon after only 45 seconds was quickly followed by a brace of fine points from play from the sticks of Mark McNicholas and Padraig Fitzsimons, before Bardon slotted over an opportunist point to make it 0-4 to 0-0 for the purple and golds. Blaine Lehart was whistled back for overcarrying as he tried to open Castletown"s account while, at the other end, goalkeeper Gary Jackson had to react smartly twice in quick succession to prevent scores for the Gaels.Castletown-Geoghegan eventually opened their account in the 11th minute, Keith Gorry pointing neatly and, within a matter of seconds, their tally was doubled courtesy of a strike by Blaine Lehart. Lough Lene Gaels proceeded to spurn two scoring chances, but their opponents were less wasteful and a converted "65" from Derek Gallagher and a well-taken point from play by Robbie Jackson levelled the tie in the 16th minute. Undaunted, the Gaels responded with three points between the 19th and 23rd minutes, two very good solo points from David Cunningham being quickly followed by a tap-over free from Stephen Bardon. Not to be outdone, Castletown replied with three unanswered points of their own, a terrific point from near the sideline by Blaine Lehart and two successful frees by Robbie Jackson from around 35 metres (the second with the lask puck of the first moiety), leaving the teams tied at 0-7 each at the interval.Scores were particularly hard to come by on the change of ends and, after Stephen Bardon pointed a 45-metre free in the fourth minute, it was a full 13 minutes before either side made the scoreboard operator work, with scrappy play and loose shooting abounding. Mark McNicholas eventually put the Gaels two points ahead with a lovely pick-up and strike and, following Castletown misses from Keith Gorry (a long-range effort from play) and Robbie Jackson (a scoreable free), a quick brace of points from Stephen Bardon (whose effort went over the crossbar via Gary Jackson"s hurley) and Darragh McCormack doubled the Collinstown team"s lead, with seven minutes of normal time remaining. However, two minutes later, the black and ambers got a lifeline when Derek Gallagher"s "65" was added to from close range by Mark McDermott and the sliotar flashed past Mark Briody. Both sides missed chances in the ensuing passages of play before Castletown-Geoghegan equalised in the 30th minute, Robbie Jackson pointing a 30-metre free, after Keith Gorry was fouled. In added-time, both sides went all out for victory, but to no avail, with David Cunningham"s shot just tailing wide with the last puck of the match, in the 33rd minute.Both teams remain in line for a place in the knockout stages of the championship but, on Sunday"s evidence, they will need to improve dramatically if they are to be in serious contention for ultimate honours. Lough Lene Gaels were well served by Martin Williams and Derek McNicholas in defence, both midfielders Stephen Bardon and David Cunningham, while Mark McNicholas was their liveliest attacker. For Castletown-Geoghegan, Patrick Clarke, Derek Gallagher, Blaine Lehart and Robbie Jackson fared best over the hour.Lough Lene Gaels: Mark Briody; Aidan Keogh, Martin Williams, Francis McDermott; Jimmy Carroll, Derek McNicholas, Jimmy Boyle; Stephen Bardon (0-5, 0-3 from frees), David Cunningham (0-2); Vincent Clarke, Mark McNicholas (0-2), Padraig Fitzsimons (0-1); Joey Williams, Darragh McCormack (0-1), Michael Walsh. Subs: James Connell (for Walsh, 45 mins), Damien Conaty (for J.Williams, 49 mins), Johnny Clarke (for Clarke, 59 mins).Castletown-Geoghegan: Gary Jackson; Alan Mangan, Peter Dalton, Kevin Jackson; John Gallagher, Patrick Clarke, Ronan Corcoran; David Langan, Derek Gallagher (0-1, from a "65"); Barry Whelan, Blaine Lehart (0-2), Ian Corrigan; Robbie Jackson (0-4, 0-3 from frees), Keith Gorry (0-1), Eamonn Óg Clarke. Subs: Ronan Whelan (for Corcoran, 27 mins), Emmett Dalton (for Corrigan, 44 mins), Mark McDermott (1-0) (for E.Óg Clarke, 51 mins).Referee: Sean Carroll (Cullion)