Antrim went into the clash on a high after defeating Laois in their opening game last weekend, but they never looked like building on that.

They were not helped when defender Arron Graffin was stretchered off with a serious knee injury after just five minutes.

The Northern outfit had no answer to a Westmeath side, who followed up their win over Carlow last weekend with an impressive display.

The game was over as a contest when Westmeath led by 1-13 to 0-2 at the interval.

Paul Shiels and Eoghan Campbell hit points for Antrim to reduce Westmeath’s early salvo to make it 0-3 to 0-2 after 22 minutes.

But then Westmeath, favoured by the wind and rain, pulled away and they hit 0-7 in a blistering nine minute spell.

That pushed them 0-10 to 0-2 in front, before the impressive Robbie Greville and Niall O’Brien combined to send Alan Devine through for a goal.

There was no way back for Antrim, although Ciaran Clarke landed the first point of the second-half.

But a revival never looked likely, not least with Shane Power superb in the Westmeath defence and Robbie Greville and Cormac Boyle fantasic around the middle.

Niall O’Brien finished with 0-8, one point more than Antrim managed over 70 minutes.

The Ulster side also never looked like getting a goal which might have ignited a comeback.

Instead, Westmeath just kept picking off points despite the difficult conditions, with Devine ending his haul on 1-3 and Robbie Greville getting 0-4.

Scorers - Westmeath: N O’Brien 0-8 (5fs), A Devine 1-3, R Greville 0-4, D McNicholas 0-3 (0-1 sideline), C Boyle 0-2, B Murtagh 0-1.

Antrim: Ciaran Johnson 0-2, P Sheils 0-2 (1f), C Clarke 0-2 (2fs), E Campbell 0-1.

Westmeath: S McGovern; S Power, T Doyle, G Greville; A Craig, A Clarke, A McGrath; E Price, C Boyle; N O’Brien, D McNicholas, R Greville; A Devine, B Murtagh, D Clinton.

Subs: E Corrigan for Clinton (52), J Clarke for McGrath (54), J Boyle for McNicholas (58), L Varley for G Greville (62), M Daly for Murtagh (63).

Antrim: C O’Connell; O McFadden, J Dillon, P Shiels; S McCrory, C McKinley, A Graffin; M Bradley, N McAuley; R McCambridge, N McManus, E Campbell; C Clarke, Conor Johnson, D McClean.

Subs: D McKieran for Graffin (13), C Carson for McClean (22), Ciaran Johnson for Campbell (35), T McCann for McManus (51), M Donnelly for Clarke (60).

Referee: F Horgan (Tipperary).