Westmeath brought an end to Kildare's championship aspirations in Clane this afternoon, strolling to a 2-15 to 0-6 victory in the Guinness Hurling Championship preliminary round.
Despite enjoying home advantage, Kildare never really troubled the visitors and from the time Frank Shaw found the back of the net in the 12th minute, Westmeath weren't going to be beaten.
They led 1-5 to 0-3 at half-time and after the break, with the wind at their backs, they began to pick off points at will. Danny Carty added a second goal, taking his personal tally to 1-3, and despite shooting 17 wides, the Lake County still emerged comfortable winners.