Memorable day for Westmeath sport
It's been a memorable Saturday for sport in Westmeath, not just Ireland in general - with three Lake County sides winning what could be season-defining matches in football and hurling.Katie Taylor got the country off to the perfect start with her world boxing win, while Leinster - managed by former Mullingar Rugby Club coach and player, Joe Schmidt - got their hands on the Heineken Cup once again.Further tremendous success came Westmeath's way in Gaelic football and hurling. The minor footballers travelled to Aughrim to take on Wicklow in the Leinster minor championship. Tommy Carr's charges qualified for a semi-final against fancied Meath with a 0-10 to 0-7 win over the Garden County.In Mullingar, the senior hurlers mounted a spirited second half comeback to win their Leinster SHC preliminary game against Antrim on a score of 0-14 to 0-12, with Niall O'Brien (0-8) leading the way. The memorable win now puts Brian Hanley's in a quarter-final against Anthony Cunningham's Galway on June 3.Finally, the senior ladies' footballers have been promoted to Division 2 of the Ladies' NFL, defeating Leitrim in the Division 3 final replay at Killoe (1-11 to 1-7). Karen Hegarty (1-1), Maud Annie Foley and Ruth Kearney (0-3 each) were among the scorers, and the Lake County girls will now take their league experience into a Leinster championship game against Meath in July.Hopefully, a quadruple of Westmeath wins will be completed tomorrow (Sunday), when the Maroons meet Louth in the first round of the Leinster SFC in Navan (3.30pm).For reports on and reaction to all these matches, see Wednesday's edition of the Westmeath Examiner.