DOWN...5-15 WESTMEATH...3-7: Westmeath must have entertained serious thoughts about top-flight hurling next season when John Shaw and Barry Kennedy rifled shots past Graham Clarke inside the opening 10 minutes of their Division Two final against Down.
Apart from those strikes, they had their opponents on the run, also hitting five wides. With an off-colour Down having to wait 15 minutes before opening their account, the omens looked good.
But enter Paul Braniff to wipe the smiles away. The big centre forward scored a majestic three goals and nine points to emerge as the central figure in his side's return to Division One, after an absence of 10 years.
Afterwards manager John Crossey praised him but he also cited centre back Gary Savage as the inspiration.
"Gary was floored after 20 seconds, spent four minutes on the ground receiving treatment, and was knocked out twice more afterwards. Westmeath scored two goals immediately after his first injury. He then settled, rode out the other injuries and we conceded a solitary score over the rest of the half."
Few, he noted, gave them a chance before the match - "and we were probably completely written off when Westmeath struck those goals. Apart from our tally of 5-15, we managed something like 17 wides, three fewer than them. Now, as Division Two champions, we look forward to our visit to New York in the championship later this month."
Braniff's first point started the revival. Scores from Brendan McGourty (0-2) and Braniff left it 2-1 to 0-4, and in a blistering three-minute spell that man Braniff - after a great run by McGourty and the other Braniff, Michael - beat goalkeeper Mark Brody to make it 2-7 to 2-1 at the break.
Down were given a further lift when Garrett Johnson netted with a rising shot. Yet they were given a reminder that all was not yet over when Barry Kennedy put one past Graham Clarke.
Westmeath replaced midfielders Paul Williams and Ollie Devine with Brian Connaughton and Shane McDonnell. Their opposite numbers, Andy Savage and Gerard Adair, were unconcerned.
Braniff put more distance between the teams before Kennedy had the losers' second point, on 45 minutes.
There was the occasional response from Andrew Mitchell and Killian Cosgrave, but a double goal burst from Paul Braniff, on 57 and 59 minutes, put the result beyond doubt.
Down wing back Simon Wilson, who kept Division Two's top scorer, Mitchell, to two points from play, described the win as a magnificent achievement: "It took us a little while to get used to the ground, thus all the wides, but once we settled we knew what we were about."
In the Division Three final yesterday, Sligo beat Tyrone by 3-12 to 1-8 at Ballyshannon where midfielder Paul Seevers scored 2-6, all from placed balls.
DOWN: G Clarke; L Clarke, S Murray, E Dorrian; S Wilson, G Savage, G Clarke; A Savage (0-1), G Adair; G McGrattan, P Braniff (3-9, 0-6 frees), B McGourty (0-3); J Convery, G Johnson (1-1), M Braniff (1-0). Subs: J McGrattan for Convery (40 mins), J Hughes for Clarke (42 mins), D McCusker (0-1) for McGourty (68 mins), E Trainor for Adare (70 mins).
WESTMEATH: M Brody; D Curley, B Murtagh, P Greville; D Gallagher, C Murtagh, D McCormack; P Williams, O Devine; R Whelan, V Bateman (0-1), A Mitchell (0-4, 0-2 frees); D Carty, J Shaw (1-0), B Kennedy (2-1). Subs: B Connaughton for Williams (40 mins), K Cosgrave (0-1) for Carty (42 mins), S McDonnell for Devine (43 mins), E Loughlin for Whelan (50 mins).
Referee: M Haverty (Galway).
