Moate start LGFA Leinster campaign with Longford challenge

Westmeath LGFA intermediate champions Moate start their Leinster championship on Saturday when they play their Longford counterparts Ballymore in a preliminary round fixture in Abbeylara at 2pm.

Fresh from their one point success over Caulry in the intermediate championship final, Moate will be hoping their winning form continues as their provincial campaign gets underway.

Defenders Louise Payne and Valerie Palmer, who excelled in their roles in the intermediate championship decider, will be hoping to carry on their form in the Leinster championship.

Moate can also call on the experience of Stacy Holloway, while Eva Fox and Tara Hughes always carry a scoring threat.

Their county final success was notable for the team's work ethic with players showing immense desire and a willingness to win, particularly in the game's closing quarter when a late Caulry rally was ultimately quelled by the players.

Opponents Ballymore claimed their fourth Longford intermediate championship and the club's first since 2020, when comprehensively defeating St Brigid’s Gaels Ardagh in the county's showpiece fixture.

While the 2020 Leinster intermediate champions will provide a collective challenge, Moate will have to curb the threat of Ballymore's scorer-in-chief Aisling Reynolds who accounted for 2-10 of her side's 2-14 total in what was a 'player of the match' performance.