Carlow have bowed out of the Tailteann Cup despite a gallant performance from the Barrowsiders.
The full time score in Netwatch Cullen Park was Carlow 2-13 Westmeath 1-21.
Luke Loughlin and John Heslin were the first from the Lake County.
Westmeath adjusted to the damp conditions a lot better than the barrowsiders and were 4 points up after 11 minutes.
Carlow made a much slower start to the game and didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 12th minute.
It looked like Carlow were in real trouble when John Heslin hit the net after getting on the end of a smooth delivery from Sam Duncan.
However in the second quarter Carlow found their groove and picked up 2 goals before the break.
At half time Carlow trailed by 2 points on a scoreline of Carlow 2-05, Westmeath 1-10.
2nd half
The second half made for a much more entertaining contest with both sides exchanging points in quick succession.
However Carlow were never able to catch up with Westmeath’s lead.
Niall Carew’s men were successful at turning over the ball but were less clinical when it came to getting scores on the board.
Carew will also be happy with how his forwards dealt with the high ball, giving them plenty of positives to work with in next years championship.
Although Carlow put in a much better shift in the second half, it was Westmeath who dictated the play in the closing minutes of the game.
The Midlanders ran down the clock in the last 5 minutes in an attempt to hold on to their 5 point lead and they were successful in doing do.
The final score in Netwatch Cullen Park was Carlow 2-13, Westmeath 1-21.
This result marks the end of Carlow’s run in the 2022 championship but they can bring with them a lot of positives from the first year of the Tailteann Cup.
