2022 Sports Review - AUGUST

In football, the big story of the month was not on the club front but the inter-county one, with Jack Cooney stunning the GAA fraternity by announcing his decision to step down as Westmeath senior football manager, just short of two months after steering his charges to the Tailteann Cup. The Coralstown/Kinnegad clubman revealed that he was about to take up a permanent role in Croke Park as the GAA’s National Youth Development Lead.

The month in club football saw the business end of the football championships reached, with Killucan stunning Tyrrellspass in the SFC to reach a quarter-final against Coralstown/Kinnegad. Tyrrellspass, however, also advanced to a semi-final against a high-achieving Caulry side, who racked up some decent results during the group stage. The Downs and St Loman’s, Mullingar qualified directly for the semi-finals, while a Ruairí Cunningham penalty for Moate All Whites against neighbours Rosemount relegated the latter to the IFC for 2023. At intermediate grade, St Mary’s Rochfortbridge and Milltown took the direct route to the semi-finals, while Shandonagh, Ballymore, Tubberclair and Castledaly reached the quarters. Maryland and Kilbeggan Shamrocks slipped into the relegation playoff.

In hurling, Clonkill established themselves as the pacesetters in the SHC ‘A’, achieving four straight wins and qualifying directly for the final. An intriguing September awaited, with Raharney (now under the management of Bernard Crowley, who succeeded Brendan McKeogh mid-season), Castletown Geoghegan, Castlepollard and Lough Lene Gaels all in the shake-up for semi-final places, ‘Pollard staying in contention with a superb win over the Gaels on August 21. In the ‘B’ competition, Delvin – with Josh Coll and Darragh Clinton in form – qualified for the final and looked well on course for the Mickey Power Cup, with Fr Dalton’s, Crookedwood and Brownstown all in the hunt for semi-final spots.

The month in golf saw Joshua Hill of Galgorm Castle GC triumph in the 60th running of the Mullingar Scratch Trophy, on the August bank holiday weekend. Hill won by a single stroke from Max Kennedy of the Royal Dublin club, who was tied for second with Brandon St John of Portmarnock. The junior season at Mullingar Golf Club concluded with the Lady Captain’s Prize to the Juniors, which was won by Amelia Bruton. Finian Whelehan and Alison O’Neill also won the President’s (Tommy Lyng’s) prizes to the gents and ladies respectively on the Belvedere course.

On the soccer fields, Mullingar Town advanced in both the CCFL Westmeath Cup – reaching the final with a 3-1 win over Monksland United – and the Leinster Over 35s Cup (beating Tallaght 4-2). Town were unlucky to lose the north division of the CCFL Summer League after a 2-1 defeat to Willow Park. Meanwhile, Aidan Keena’s Sligo Rovers’ European odyssey ended after the Bit O’Red lost 5-1 away to Viking Stavanger in their third round Europa Conference League qualifier, winning the home leg 1-0. Keena’s continued goalscoring form in the League of Ireland was rewarded again with an SSE Airtricity League/Soccer Writers Ireland player of the month award for July – his second such award since arriving in Sligo in January.

In pitch and putt, the Lough Owel club hosted the James Corcoran Memorial Competition, while the Westmeath intermediate team won a silver medal at the Leinster Strokeplay. At Kilbeggan Pitch and Putt Club, Evan Carry was the senior winner in the Paddy Carton Memorial Scratch Cup, while in Collinstown, Jack Buckley followed up winning the All-Ireland U20 strokeplay in Killarney by returning to his home club and winning the Captain’s Prize.

On the athletics front, prominent road racing fixtures such as the Kilbeggan 10-Mile and the Castlepollard/North Westmeath 5k took place. Kilbeggan man and Tullamore Harriers veteran Jim Langan, who turned 80 during the month, won the 1,500m in the Over 80 category at the All-Ireland Masters T&F in Tullamore, where members of Mullingar Harriers were out in force, including Colm Walsh who won the All-Ireland 5k race walk in his category. The Mullingar club was also among the medals at the Tullamore Half Marathon.

In boxing, there were a number of Mullingar successes in August. Mullingar Elite BC’s Daniel Joyce medalled at the European Schoolboy Championships in Turkey, while Rochfortbridge BC’s Carley O’Herron won a silver medal at the same competition. Louise Joyce (silver) and Christian Doyle (gold) of Olympic BC, Mullingar were also among the medals in Turkey. In cycling meanwhile, Lakeside Wheelers’ Aaron Wade had his biggest career win to date, when he was best in the final spring to the line that settled the honours in the GP Christian Fenioux-Souvenir Gilles-Malard in France. Closer to home, Mikey Flaherty, also of Wheelers, won the A category in the finale of the OE Bikes Midlands League.

Elsewhere in August, greyhound racing in Mullingar marked its ninetieth birthday in style with a celebration at Mullingar Greyhound Racing Stadium; Kilbeggan Races marked the end of another season; successful summer camps were held at Mullingar Tennis and Badminton Club and Mullingar Kyokushinkai Karate Club; in motorsport, Jordan Dempsey came away with two wins in a Formula Ford series meeting at Brands Hatch; and both Robbie McCarthy Jnr and his sister, Aoife, advanced to their respective All-Ireland knockouts. Robbie reached the All-Ireland 60x30 semis with a bye against Kerry’s Dominic Lynch, while Aoife qualified for her All-Ireland senior softball semi-final against Martina McMahon of Limerick.

Finally, the Relentless Martial Arts, Mullingar fivesome of Emily Hannick, Olivia Babiarz, Cadhlá Gilhooley, Tyler Byrne and sisters Ali and Molly Syron returned from Abu Dhabi with a medal haul after the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation World Championships. Trained by Alan and Danni McCormack, Emily and Olivia each won gold medals, while Ali and Molly claimed bronze. Cadhlá also achieved the fastest stoppage in the tournament, stopping her opponent in 38 seconds.