Christy Ring Cup Final: Westmeath 1-23, Down 2-18 This was a great advertisement for second- tier hurling with plenty of high-quality scoring, intensity and impressive commitment.

Unfortunately, a time-keeping error and a gripe by defeated Down manager John Crossley regarding a disallowed goal by Stephen Clarke will be taking up a large portion of this report.

Thirty-three minutes and 24 seconds into the first half, Limerick referee Dennis Richardson prematurely blew for the interval.

Unaware, the players headed for the dressingroom with Westmeath leading 0-12 to 0-9, although a Down selector did approach Richardson with his stopwatch to bring the mistake to his attention. After the briefest of conversations, he was waved away.

Considering the match was on live television and the precedent already exists from the Jimmy Cooney incident in the 1998 All-Ireland semi-final replay between Clare and Offaly, the Down County Board have genuine grounds for a replay if they choose to contest the result of the first Christy Ring Cup final. In 1998, Clare beat Offaly but after an objection due to Cooney blowing for full-time too early, the game was replayed and Offaly prevailed.

"We were chasing the game at that stage too," said Crossley. "We always try to finish the half strong. It's certainly something you have to look at. I wouldn't rule it out (an objection) but it's not my decision. It's a decision for the county board. But the same thing happened to Offaly and they got a replay. We will certainly discuss it further."

Westmeath manager Séamus Qualter had a different opinion: "It's the same for us as it was for them. It had no bearing on the game. They can raise the question all they want but at the end of the day it was a fine game of hurling that we just came out of on top in."

More than anything the whole debacle will again raise the question of taking time-keeping out of the referee's hands to ensure no such error can occur. They have enough to contend with.

Crossley also implied there was a prejudice against Ulster teams in Croke Park when he claimed Stephen Clarke's disallowed goal on the hour mark, which would have reduced Westmeath's lead to two points, was not a square ball. However, television replays showed the player to be marginally inside the square when the sliotar came in.

"Well, it seems every time there is an Ulster team in Croke Park there is a square ball," he said in reference to a disallowed Antrim goal two years ago against Wexford.

As Qualter mentioned, there was plenty of fine hurling, and hurlers, on display yesterday while most of the 50,596 crowd gathered around the local public houses.

Enda Loughlin must get a special mention as his four points from midfield ensured he picked up the man-of-the-match accolade. Down produced an admirable fightback with goals from Gareth Johnson and Clarke eclipsing a great John Shaw strike on 54 minutes.

Loughlin produced the decisive score when he gathered a kicked clearance by fullback Stephen Murray in injury-time.

Instead of Down coming for one final onslaught, 18-year-old Killian Cosgrove then profited from another poor clearance to ensure a two-point margin of victory.

Down's major failing was their lack of discipline inside the radar of Andrew Mitchell who punished them with eight frees and a 65.

Martin Coulter did a similar job down the other end to eventually finish with 0-8 from placed balls.

It wasn't enough.

So, for the first time the Liam McCarthy Cup will be contested without an Ulster representative in 2006, of course presuming this game is allowed to stand.

That certainly wasn't the initial plan when the restructuring process began for the three-tier system.

WESTMEATH: 1 M Briody; 2 M Williams, 3 C Murtagh, 4 C Jordan; 5 B Murtagh (0-2), 6 D McCormack, 7 B Connaughton; 8 R Whelan (0-1), 9 E Loughlin (0-4); 10 G Gavin, 11 J Shaw (1-2, capt), 12 A Mitchell (0-9, eight frees, '65); 13 B Kennedy (0-2), 14 K Cosgrove (0-3), 15 J Clarke. Subs: 17 D Curley for Clarke (temp 4-5 mins), D Curley for Connaughton (26 mins), 23 P Greville for Williams (temp, 51-52 mins and 64 mins).

Down: 1 Graham Clarke; 2 L Clarke, 3 S Murray, 4 C Coulter; 5 Gabriel Clarke, 6 G Savage, 7 S Wilson (0-1, capt); 8 G Adair (0-1), 9 A Savage (0-1); 10 E Clarke (0-1), 11 P Braniff, 12 B McGourty (0-2); 13 M Coulter (0-8, eight frees), 14 G Johnson (1-3), 15 S Clarke (1-1).

Referee: D Richardson (Limerick).