Local championship resumes as local sides face key clashes

THE 2010 Shay Murtagh Precast Westmeath SFC resumes this weekend after a nine-week break, with the top-of-the-table Division 1 clash between Athlone and Maryland taking centre stage (Moate, Saturday, 7.30pm). Tubberclair, Garrycastle and Castledaly are all also in action, but it's the outcome of the potentially critical clash of Athlone and Maryland which will attract most attention from followers of the local Gaelic football scene. Both sides have had excellent and confidence-boosting starts to the 2010 championship campaign, with Athlone seeing off St Loman's and Tubberclair, and Maryland enjoying wins over Coralstown-Kinnegad and St Loman's, leaving both clubs with a maximum four points at this stage. Although not mathematically certain of qualification to the knockout phase with victory on Saturday, either Athlone or Maryland will move into a comfortable position to reach the latter stages with a win, but both managers are wary of their opponent. Athlone manager Malachy Gately said: "I've a huge amount of respect for what Maryland are doing, and the whole community is behind the club. They have a special atmosphere out there and we'll need to match their determination and will-to-win to have a chance on Saturday. "I expect it to be tight and I'm looking forward to this one more than any other match since taking over at Athlone. I'm very proud to be managing Athlone and although Maryland hammered us in the league earlier in the year, I'm very interested to see how far we've progressed since then," said Gately, who also questioned the length of the recent break from club championship action. "It's too long (the break) and is something that needs to be looked at," said Gately, whose team has played every weekend, either in challenge matches or in the league, since their last championship outing against Tubberclair. Athlone will be missing exciting young forward John Egan, who recently sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury while playing college football, and Dermot McManus is also a huge doubt with an arm injury. Maryland's squad is carrying a few niggly knocks, but nothing serious enough to put any player in jeopardy of missing this weekend's match, said manager Finbar Egan. "This is a really important match and whoever wins will be in a great scenario," said Egan, who guided Maryland to a quarter-final appearance last year after winning promotion from intermediate level the previous campaign. Maryland will be looking towards the likes of talented young county stars Kieran Martin and Callum McCormack on Saturday, and they warmed-up for the clash with Athlone by beating Ballynacargy in a challenge match last weekend. "The winner of Saturday's game would have to be fancied to reach the knockout stages, and also be in a good position to target an automatic semi-final spot. We're a young team on the rise but we work awful hard, and hopefully we'll take that approach into Saturday's big game," said Egan. The meeting of Athlone and Maryland will be preceded in Moate by the Division 1 clash of Tubberclair and Coralstown-Kinnegad (6pm). Under the shrewd stewardship of Tom Lennon, Tubberclair have had a mixed start to the championship, beating Killucan on their opening outing, before losing by four points against Athlone in mid-May. Tubberclair will be without talismanic forward Fergal Wilson, who faces a lengthy period on the sidelines, and Thomas Doogan, while Castledaly also have to cope minus the services of long-serving stalwart Derek Heavin, who recently sustained a horrific knee injury while playing with Westmeath, when they face Mullingar Shamrocks in Division 2 at Tang on Sunday (6.30pm). Castledaly, now under the guidance of former Roscommon star Enon Gavin, are unbeaten in the campaign so far, having drawn their opening fixture with The Downs, before beating St Malachy's by 2-8 to 1-5. The Castledaly match will be played in Tang after the meeting of championship holders and this year's favourites Garrycastle and St Malachy's (5pm). Anthony Cunningham's Garrycastle have already brushed aside the challenge of Tyrrellspass and The Downs, and will be fully expected to add another two points to their tally this weekend, against a St Malachy's team who have lost both games so far. The other two matches in this weekend's championship schedule are the meetings of Killucan and St Loman's in Division 1 (Sunday, Cusack Park, 6pm), and Tyrrellspass v The Downs at Cusack Park afterwards (7.30pm). Meanwhile, in the intermediate championship, Tang will be hoping to maintain their 100 per cent start to the Division 2 campaign when they take on St Mary's Rochfortbridge at Castletown on Friday evening (6.30pm). Following that encounter, Moate All-Whites play Shandonagh in Division 1 (7.45pm). On Saturday, Rosemount - with one point to their credit from two games - play table toppers Castletown F/C/W in Division 2 at Cusack Park at 7.30pm, a game preceeded by Ballynacargy and Kilbeggan Shamrocks in Division 1 (6pm). It's the turn of Caulry on Sunday, as they bid to make it three wins in succession in Division 1 against Bunbrosna at Shandonagh (2pm). Beforehand, Ballymore and Ballinagore meet in Division 2 at 12.30pm.