Caulry and Moate All-Whites bid for silverware
ON Saturday, both Caulry and Moate All-Whites will bid for glory on a day of potentially great entertainment at Cusack Park in Mullingar.
The curtain-raiser to the Westmeath IFC final replay between Caulry and St Malachy’s (5pm) will be the meeting of Moate All-Whites and Coralstown/Kinnegad in the Minor Division 1 FC decider.
Moate are bidding for a second successive title, having defeated Athlone in last year’s final on a 2-9 to 0-9 scoreline. Several players who featured for Moate in last year’s final are underage again this year - Sean Bracken, Daniel Buckley, Andrew Gorman, Dylan Ennis, Ruairi Cunningham, Keith Byrne, Gavin Murray, John Corbally, Eoghan Kelly, Aaron O’Neill and Alex O’Riordan. The All Whites will be looking to such players for inspiration on Saturday.
Moate’s goalscoring ability has been crucial in their passage to the final - with the fleet-footed John Corbally and ace poacher Aaron O’Neill eminently capable of raising green flags.
This year’s Westmeath minor captain Ryan Caffrey and Darren Giles are Coralstown/Kinnegad’s leading players.
The reds edged out Tubberclair in the semi-finals by a single point - a contest that was on a knife edge until the end.
Caulry and St Malachy’s will have to meet again on Saturday to decide who makes the step-up to the senior grade in 2014 after a pulsating drawn encounter in the Westmeath intermediate football championship final in front of 2,200 spectators at Cusack Park last Sunday.
What was otherwise a splendid contest was spoiled by a very lengthy delay in the second moiety when St Malachy’s wing-back Adam Kerroum was taken away by ambulance after an unfortunate clash of heads with his defensive colleague Jordy Cassidy. Thankfully, the latter player resumed after receiving treatment and all Gaels will wish Kerroum a speedy return to full health, however, the defender will obviously miss this weekend’s replay.
Damien Dolan was expected to miss last weekend’s game but his inclusion in the side was a boost to the Mount Temple/Baylin side. In the end, reliable Caulry free-taker Peter Smyth held his nerve to slot over a last-gasp free in the second minute of added-time to force the replay.
Alan Fitzpatrick was arguably Caulry’s best performer last weekend and will look to again influence matters from midfield, while the threat of Smyth and David Brookes in the forward-line should stand the red and whites in good stead. However, the wily Alan Mangan managed 1-5 for St Malachy’s in the drawn fixture and Caulry will have to be at their very best to emerge victorious.
Caulry: A Brief Championship History
1928: Club is founded by Charlie Griffin, Willie Horton, Abe Oughton, Frank Seery, Jim Allen and Fr Skelly.
1935: Win first Westmeath JFC beating Coralstown in the final.
1946: Win first Westmeath IFC beating Tyrrellspass in the final.
1969: Intermediate champions again.
1985: Another Intermediate title beating St Paul’s in the final.
1990, 2002, 2002 and 2009: Westmeath JFC winners.