Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship
IrishCraobh Idirmheánach Iomána na hIarmhí
CodeHurling
Founded1985 (1985)
Region Westmeath (GAA)
TrophyAdrian Murray Cup
No. of teams6
Title holders Castletown Geoghegan (1st title)
Most titles St Oliver Plunkett's (6 titles)
SponsorsSlevin's Coaches
Official websiteWestmeath GAA

The Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Slevin's Coaches Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Westmeath IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1985 for the third tier hurling teams in the county of Westmeath in Ireland.

In its current format, the Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship begins with a group stage. The six participating teams play each other in a round-robin system. The three top-ranking teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at TEG Cusack Park.

St Oliver Plunkett's is the most successful team in the tournament's history, having won it six times.[1] Castletown Geoghegan are the title holders after defeating Clonkill by 3–14 to 2–15 in the 2023 final.[2]

History

The Westmeath Intermediate Championship was founded in 1985 in an effort to bridge the standard of play between the Westmeath Senior Championship and the Westmeath Junior Championship. For 35 years, the Westmeath Intermediate Championship was the second tier championship in the Westmeath hurling championship system.

A review of Westmeath's hurling championships in 2019 proposed that the Westmeath SHC and Westmeath IHC be restructured. This resulted in the creation of the Westmeath Senior B Hurling Championship. Each of the three championships would consist of six teams. The first championship following the restructuring featured the five teams who didn't make 2019 final, as well as the 2019 Westmeath JAHC winners who gained automatic promotion.[3]

Format

Group stage

Six clubs start in the group stage. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed five group games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top three teams qualify for the knockout stage

Knockout stage

Semi-finals: The second and third-placed teams from the group stage contest this round. The winner of this game advances to the final.

Final: The top team from the group stage and the semi-final winner contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

Relegation

The fifth and sixth-placed teams from the group stage take part in a relegation playoff to determine who drops to the Westmeath Junior A Hurling Championship.

Sponsorship

Slevin's Coaches had been providing sponsorship for a number of years before renewing their sponsorship of all Westmeath's hurling championships in July 2020.[4]

Trophy and medals

The Adrian Murray Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. It was commissioned to honour Adrian Murray, a member of the Crookedwood club who served in a number of administrative roles with the Westmeath County Board.[5] He died in November 2006, at the age of 59..

Roll of honour

# Team Wins Years won
1 St Oliver Plunkett's 6 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2016, 2021
2 St Brigid's 5 1995, 2000, 2009, 2011, 2014
3 Brownstown 4 1985, 2006, 2008, 2015
Ringtown 4 1997, 2002, 2013, 2022
5 Cullion 3 1996, 1999, 2019
Crookedwood 3 2005, 2012, 2018
7 Raharney 2 1987, 1988
Delvin 2 2003, 2010
9 Border Southern Gaels 1 1986
Castlepollard 1 2007
Fr Dalton's 1 2017
Clonkill 1 2020
Castletown Geoghegan 1 2023

List of finals

Year Winners Runners-up Venue #
Club Score Club Score
2017 Fr Dalton's 1-11 Ringtown 1-07 TEG Cusack Park [6]
2018 Crookedwood 0-16 Clonkill 2-08 TEG Cusack Park
2019 Cullion 1-13 Raharney 1-12 TEG Cusack Park
2020 Clonkill 1-13 Ringtown 1-10 TEG Cusack Park
2021 St Oliver Plunkett's 1-18 Ringtown 1-11 TEG Cusack Park [7]
2022 Ringtown 0-15 Raharney 1-09 TEG Cusack Park [8]
2023 Castletown Geoghegan 3-14 Clonkill 2-15 TEG Cusack Park
  • 2018 - The first match ended in a draw: Clonkill 3-10, Crookedwood 1-16.
  • 2019 - The first match ended in a draw: Cullion 3-13, Raharney 3-13.

References

  1. ↑ "Club Titles - Westmeath". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. ↑ Buckley, Gerry (18 October 2023). "Lynch's second half goal clinches it for Castletown". Westmeath Examiner. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "New format agreed for Senior Hurling Championship". Topic Westmeath. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Championship games will be all-ticket affairs". Topic. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "A tribute to Adrian Murray RIP". Hogan Stand. 1 February 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Martin cut short holiday to win Westmeath hurling medal". Hogan Stand. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Superior Plunkett's crowned Intermediate Hurling Champions after wonderful display". Topic. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "Cunningham points the way as Ringtown finally win intermediate title". Westmeath Examiner. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
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