Larkins’ dream ends

Date Published: 14-Feb-2008

NO shame, but regrets all the same. Tommie Larkins left Croke Park with a new respect for Westmeath club hurling on Saturday night, but they were left to ponder what might have been after a hugely enjoyable All-Ireland Intermediate final which finished in a welter of excitement.

It was a fantastic game of hurling, the kind of which the GAA authorities could only have dreamed of when they conjured up this championship format four years ago, on a night when most of the breaks went the way of the Westmeath and Leinster champions.

Between them, the two teams produced a hugely enjoyable, clean tussle in which neither side conceded a free for the first 23 minutes and there was some fabulous striking of the ball from both sets of players.

Ultimately, Clonkill dominated around the central diamond — centre back Andrew Mitchell and centre forward ………