Cork 7-27 Westmeath 0-15
Cork stretched their Allianz League goal count to 12 with this facile victory over Westmeath at a blustery Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday.
The home side preserved their unbeaten run in the league after making maximum use of the strong wind from the start, three first-half goals helping them establish a commanding 14-point advantage at the interval.
Alan Connolly bagged his third of the campaign by slotting home the opener in the 10th minute and Cork added a second 20 minutes later, when Luke Meade finished off fine approach work by Sean O’Leary-Hayes.
And a minute before injury-time, Westmeath coughed up possession cheaply in their own halfback line and Cork captain Patrick Horgan punished them with goal number three.
Westmeath, who lost Davy Glennon with a serious looking hand injury during the period, competed well enough early on, trailing by just 1-4 to 0-4 at the first water-break.
But Cork pounced for 2-5 in the closing nine minutes as Alan Cadogan, Tim O’Mahony, Shane Barrett and Meade knocked over points.
The pattern continued on the resumption as Cork struck 2-7 without reply before the second water-break. Barrett claimed the fourth goal after 36 minutes, followed immediately by Horgan’s second.
Cadogan and Connolly added two more goals as Cork led by 7-19 to 0-9 entering the closing quarter, having emptied their bench to hand debuts to the likes of former underage star Brian Turnbull, who took over the free-taking duties.
Cork: G Collins; S O'Leary-Hayes (0-1), E Cadogan, S O'Donoghue; T O'Mahony (0-2), R Downey (0-1), N Cashman; D Fitzgibbon (0-2), D Connery (0-3, one free); C Cahalane (0-1), P Horgan (2-4, two frees), S Barrett (1-3); A Cadogan (1-4), A Connolly (2-1), L Meade (1-2). Subs: T Deasy for Meade and S Kennefick for Horgan 41 mins, J O'Flynn for O'Mahony 48 min, B Cooper for Fitzgibbon 51 min, B Turnbull (0-2 frees) for Cadogan 52 mins, S Twomey (0-1) for Connolly 53 mins, D Meaney for Connery 55 min.
Westmeath: E Skelly; D Egerton, T Doyle, B Doyle; A Craig (0-1), A Clarke (0-1), S Clavin; J Boyle, R Greville; J Coll (0-4), K Doyle (0-5, four frees), D Glennon (0-1); N O'Brien, N Mitchell, A Cox (0-1). Subs: E Ahearn for O'Brien injured 8 min, C Doyle (0-2) for Glennonn injured 20 min, S Williams for Ahearn 49 min, C Shaw for K Doyle 57 min, K Regan for B Doyle and P Scally for Craig 64 min.
Referee: T Walsh (Waterford).
