Competitive senior ‘B’ hurling championship concludes this weekend

It’s over 25 years since Cullion and Delvin met in a memorable Westmeath intermediate hurling final, and tomorrow, similar thrills and spills will be hoped for as the two sides vie for the Mickey Power Cup in the Slevin’s Coaches SHC ‘B’ final (TEG Cusack Park, 3pm).

In 1996, Cullion supporters were stunned when Delvin raced into a nine-point lead with just ten minutes gone, but a flurry of second half goals turned the fixture on its head and the Mullingar side prevailed.

A similar nip-and-tuck clash is expected at Westmeath GAA headquarters tomorrow afternoon, and Delvin – who competed in the ‘A’ ranks in 2020 – will be regarded as slight favourites, having edged the meeting between the sides when they met in the league phase on September 25 (1-20 to 3-12).

The senior ‘B’ campaign was contested by six clubs – Delvin, Cullion, Fr Dalton’s, St Brigid’s, Brownstown and Clonkill – and when the first four met in their respective round robin games, there was little if anything between them. Delvin emerged as the most consistent after an opening day stumble against Fr Dalton’s, recording four consecutive victories and qualifying directly for the final.

Cullion, on the other hand, lost to Delvin and dropped points against St Brigid’s and Fr Dalton’s, qualifying for the semi-final against the latter. That knockout clash on October 24 – which Cullion edged by a point (2-15 to 1-17) – will stand Pat Cleary’s charges in good stead; Delvin, meanwhile, haven’t played in the competition since October 9.

It goes without saying that among their ranks, Delvin have an important talisman in the shape of Westmeath forward Darragh Clinton, who has been the club’s mainstay from play and from dead ball situations. Josh Coll has also come on in leaps and bounds, getting a decent run with Westmeath earlier in the year before going on to be an important fulcrum in attack for the Valley. Alan Cox, another inter-county player, forms part of an experienced Delvin midfield alongside Paddy Farrington.

Indeed, the Maroons possess a fine blend of youth and experience. The return of former Westmeath star Killian Murphy has been a shot in the arm for Delvin’s full back line. Backs Patrick Clune, Frank McGrath and goalkeeper John O’Shaughnessy are evergreen members of the Delvin side which won an intermediate title all the way back in 2003, and count as wise heads in key positions. Add to that the youth – the likes of Dean Ennis, one of a number of graduates of that All-Ireland Féile-winning St Ernan’s side in 2015, and corner forward Aaron Fenlon, who shot 1-3 against Cullion in the league phase.

Youthful Cullion, who ascended from the intermediate ranks in 2019, have bags of attacking talent in their own roster. Set piece taker Jack Gillen has led the way for them in the scoring stakes, and the Mullingar men have a host of capable attacking options in the shape of Shane Broughan, Westmeath forward Jack Galvin and Eoin Fox.

Throughout the campaign, midfield duties have been ably accounted for by Kevin Regan and Robbie Gillen, both of whom are capable of supplying plenty of scores; dual player Regan, for example, notched 2-2 against Fr Dalton’s in the semi-final. At the back, Cullion are well served by attacking wing back Conor Regan, centre-half Conor Shaw, corner back Pierce Shaw and the experienced Damien Golden between the sticks.

Whether or not Cullion have the goods necessary to get their hands on the cup named after one of their own legendary clubmen will be revealed tomorrow, with the throw-in at 3pm. Referee for the final is Clonkill’s Matt Shaw.