O'Byrne passion red hot

Wild and wicked skies over Mullingar yesterday provided only one part of a turbulent O'Byrne Cup final that saw Longford battle their way to a 2-6 to 0-7 win over Westmeath.

With the eyes of over 9,000 spectators stuck on every play, one could only wonder where the method was to all the madness. By the end of the afternoon, two men were dismissed, two others had clashed heads, and the first stretcher was called up after just three minutes. All this while both managers haunted the sideline like it was a Sunday in September.

For Longford's first piece of silverware in over 30 years, however, it doesn't matter how they won. "This is the first time since 1968 that Longford has won four games on the trot, so it has to be a confidence booster," said satisfied Longford manager Michael McCormack.

First to find himself on the bench was Longford midfielder Enda Barden for a kick at Rory O'Connell. Not long after, Westmeath's John Cooney was also red carded by referee Gary McCabe for a barge on Pauric Brady.

In another encounter largely ruined by the weather, Ulster comprehensively defeated Connacht 1-9 to 0-3 at Markievicz Park and claim the Railway Cup for a record 25th time. Just how far this will go in salvaging the reputation of the cup, however, remains to be seen.

A number of players were carried off in a scattered first half and in a final twist, the wind changed direction after the interval to rob Connacht of the much-needed momentum which had the three-point margin at half-time well within their sights. They also lost goalkeeper Peter Burke midway through the second half for a second yellow card.