Derek McNicholas hits late winner as Croke Park-bound Westmeath edge Kildare in thriller

Whether Westmeath deserved to be the side to crop up with the late winner or not is another matter.

Whether Westmeath deserved to be the side to crop up with the late winner or not is another matter.

Westmeath 2-19 Kildare 1-21

Derek McNicholas fired over a sublime winning score with the last meaningful puck of the game in Mullingar on Saturday afternoon, and, while it didn’t make any difference to the fates of the two counties involved, it felt like a dramatic, end-to-end encounter like this one deserved a stylish, emphatic finish to crown a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.