South Westmeath GAA clubs were to the fore on the vast green swathe of TEG Cusack Park on Saturday last as both Moate All Whites and Tubberclair duly claimed prized silverware honours in their respective football championship grades.
Returning to the senior championship fold following a stirring two point victory over Tang, Moate All Whites will compete for the Flanagan Cup in 2021. Having last won the senior football championship in 1997, Moate will be confident that their return to the higher echolons of Westmeath football will be one of longevity and with a commendable team display ensuring a comeback win on Saturday the club’s future is promising.
Trailing by four points at half time, the All Whites enjoyed possession and territory ascendancy as the game progressed and when substitute, Paul Sheridan, netted the game’s all important score with the final quarter of the final remaining, confidence levels further enhanced as Moate added four additional points to seal a wholly merited success.
Meanwhile, in the opening football championship final on Saturday, Tubberclair made an immediate return to the Intermediate championship grade with a four point victory over St Lomans, Mullingar in the Junior football final.
Having comprehensively defeated their opponents in the round robin phase of the championship, Tubberclair were favourites to annex the silverware prior to throw in but with such expectation appeared to weigh upon the shoulders of the players as St Lomans held the scoreboard ascendancy by two points at the interval.
The cohesive tenacity of play, so much a feature of Tubberclair’s championship campaign was very much to the fore in the second half and when Alan Coffey pointed a brace of scores to ensure a three point lead as the game elapsed, Martin McCabe’s charges could start to realise their start of championship season ambitions.
Come the shrill of the final celebrations and despite the Covid-19 restriction influenced attendance, there were scenes of unbridled joy as team captain, Robbie Curley, accepted the prized silverware.
In the senior football final, St Lomans Mullingar achieved their fifth county final success in eight years with an extra time victory over Tyrrellspass on Sunday, a game which also graced the TEG Cusack Park surface.
A close encounter for the duration, extra time was necessary to arrive at a final result, a late John Heslin placed ball from an acute angle salvaging the game for the eventual winners in normal time.
