Lakeland Og U13 Hurling Programme
Westmeath GAA Coaching and Games notes
Westmeath GAA started the U13 Hurling Lakeland Óg Programme last Saturday in Ringtown. The programme is for hurlers born in the year 2012 and will run over four weeks, giving the players high quality coaching and mentoring across a number of areas.
A total of 66 eager players attended in Ringtown last weekend and were treated to high quality coaching. Many thanks to staff members Bernie Corroon and Emmet Corrigan and volunteer coaches Darragh Egerton, David Williams, Micheal Lawler for running the session.
Inclusive Camps
Westmeath GAA hosted two Inclusive Camps last week, with Loretto College and Moate CS acting as the venues. These camps were run for children with additional assistance needs. Well done to all the participants in the Inclusive Camps and many thanks to our staff for organising and running the camps.
Football Development Squad Fixtures Saturday 16th August
The majority of Football Development Squads conclude their fixtures programmes this coming Saturday.
Two U14 teams travelled to Darver to play Louth last weekend in a challenge game and this Saturday sees them travelling to the Faithful Fields to take part in a blitz. The two teams will be placed in groups alongside teams from Kerry, Cork, Offaly, Laois, Louth and Carlow, facing high calibre opposition.
The U15s will be in two different locations for each version of the Dermot Earley Cup. The Michael Glavey's Cup Final will see Westmeath face off against Wicklow in Abbotstown at 2:00. Both teams have progressed to this stage with 100% records so a keen contest should be in store.
The Roscommon Cup team will play their final group game at home to Clare in Garrycastle at 12:00. The top two in this competition qualify for the final and Westmeath currently sit second in the group behind Limerick with 6 points, and a win for the Lake County should guarantee a place in the final.
The U16s face off against Laois in Ted Webb Shield Final at 12:00 in Portlaoise. Westmeath needed extra time to overcome Mayo in the semi-final, whilst Laois overcame Dublin by seven points. Both teams were unlucky not to qualify for the Cup semi-finals, and with Laois drawing their group encounter with Mayo, one can expect a tight affair in Portlaoise.
U16 Football Ted Webb Shield Final
Laois vs Westmeath
LOETB Centre of Excellence, Portlaoise; 12:00
U15 Football Dermot Earley Michael Glavey's Cup Final
Westmeath vs Wicklow
Abbotstown; 2:00
U15 Football Dermot Earley Roscommon Cup Round 5
Westmeath vs Clare
Garrycastle; 12:00
U14 Football Academy
Two Westmeath teams in a blitz with teams from Offaly, Laois, Cork and Kerry.
Faithful Fields, Kilcormac; Games at 10:30, 11:15, 12:00 & 1:00
Poc Fada All Ireland Finals
The Bank Holiday Monday saw three Westmeath participants in action in the All Ireland Poc Fada Finals in the Cooley Mountains, with Conor Raleigh (Brownstown), Pat Burke (Ringtown) and Patricia Coote (Southern Gaels) all taking part.
Conor Raleigh's U16 win was the headline achievement of the event for Westmeath. Conor completed the course in 25 pucks, the same amount as Galway's Oran Stratford. After a tense few minutes at the finish, it was announced the Brownstown man had shaded the result, clearing the finish line by 34 metres to Stratford's 29 metres, sparking celebrations amongst Conor's team of spotter, family and club mates.
This was a fantastic achievement by Conor, particularly given he is still U15, and represents Westmeath's second success in the competition in 3 years, following the success of Darragh Smyth (Turin) in 2022.
Pat Burke competed in the Senior Hurling Final for the third time and finished 11th in a high-quality field. Patricia Coote was participating in the Senior Camogie Final for the first time and finished in 6th , a notable achievement given this was her first year to enter the Westmeath competition. Well done to both on qualifying and on their performances in the final and to their teams of spotter and helpers.