Search Results for 'Westmeath GAA'

aLough Lene Gaels take on Clonkill in Cusack Park on Sunday at 5.45pm in the first of this year’s senior hurling semi-finals. Why it has to be played on an All-Ireland Sunday is another day’s work.

The final pieces of the jigsaw for the knockout stages of the Westmeath senior football championship will fall into place this weekend with the final round of group games down for decision. Garrycastle and St Loman’s have already secured the automatic semi-final spots while Tyrrellspass and Mullingar Shamrocks are already assured of a quarter-final berth. Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum Athlone and Tubberclair have been consigned to a relegation play-off having finished bottom of the table.

Bank holiday weekend or not, eight teams go to post in round four of the Shay Murtagh senior football championship. Garrycastle have already secured their place in the semi-final thanks to their 4-13 to 1-8 win over Bunbrosna last Sunday.

A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, arrived at the door last Sunday morning. Looking a little worse for wear after celebrating breaking his own personal best in the increasingly popular triAthlone he declared that while he had never in his life been in America he was in some state last night.

The score line says it all. Wexford were simply in a different class to a Westmeath side which had no answer to the movement and scoring power of their opponents. With a few notable exceptions Westmeath were outclassed in almost every sector of the field.

Westmeath learned their opposition for their upcoming Leinster quarter-final when Wexford easily brushed aside the challenge of Offaly in Tullamore last Saturday. I fancied Offaly to prevail on home turf but in truth they were no match for a much slicker and sharper Wexford outfit. Westmeath must now make the long journey to Wexford Park for a 5pm throw-in (the powers that be must think nobody works on a Saturday) and the game will be followed by the meeting of Kilkenny and Wexford in the Leinster hurling semi-final.

Westmeath’s lady footballers created history by collecting the division four crown at the expense of neighbours Roscommon in Cusack Park, Ennis on Sunday last. Having come out on top when the sides met in the group stages, Westmeath entered the game as favourites but were pushed all the way by a game Roscommon side.

The Shay Murtagh Westmeath senior football championship is in full swing with all but two clubs looking forward to their second championship outing this weekend. Athlone and Garrycastle both sat out the opening weekend of action last weekend but face Bunbrosna and The Downs respectively this weekend. They will then face each other in a standalone fixture on Sunday May 15.

Westmeath hurling is in a bit of a crisis at present following Kevin Martin’s decision to step aside just weeks before they face Carlow in the Leinster championship. Martin took over as manager last year and guided the Lake County to its third Christy Ring title.

Finally something for Westmeath football folk to celebrate. Promotion back up to division two secured, thanks to a nail-biting win over Offaly, and a division three final in Croke Park on Saturday week to look forward to. After a slow start to the campaign the achievement is all the sweeter. Pat Flanagan and his team deserve credit for stopping the rot and getting us back to where I feel we ought to be, in the second tier.