February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Mark Jones
If last weekend’s football fare was largely predictable in terms of results, Meath pulled off the shock of the 2002 championships to date when they defeated Laois by 2-16 to 1-18 in the Leinster hurling championship at Navan.
Laois looked to have booked their passage when Mickey Cole blasted home a sensational match-winning goal for Meath in injury time. It was an outstanding performance by manager Michael Duignan and his players, who had been relegated from Div. 1 of the league, while Nicky Horan proved to be the star of the game with a superb personal tally of 1-10.
Also, Dublin edged Westmeath by 2-12 to 1-12 at Mullingar, with Westmeath desperately unlucky not to earn a replay when Darren McCormack’s kicked shot trickled just inches past the post in the closing seconds. In Ulster, Down were much too strong for London running out 3-22 to 1-9 winners at Casement Park and will now meet provincial champions Derry in the semifinal.