Colin Kelly and Michael Ryan will bring their respective charges to Celtic Park and Netwatch Cullen Park respectively next Sunday for what are already destined to be crucial National Football and Hurling League fixtures, despite the leagues commencing this year in late January.
Division 3 in the big ball game and Division 2A in its small ball equivalent are both certain to be competitive this spring, and Westmeath can ill-afford to drop points in the opening fixtures. Both teams had decent O’Byrne Cup (still to be finished) and Walsh Cup campaigns and new captains, John Heslin and Tommy ‘Jogger’ Doyle, will both be hoping to open the real competitive business of 2018 by putting invaluable points on the board.
The Oak Leaf men have generally held the upper hand in football clashes (one notable exception being the Lake County’s infamous quarter-final win almost 24 years ago against the reigning All-Ireland champions at the time – see photograph), while our hurlers are ever so slightly ahead in head-to-head jousts with the Barrowsiders, as follows:
WESTMEATH V DERRY previous NFL meetings (15)
Westmeath won 4
Derry won 10
1 draw
4/2/1973, Magherafelt, Derry 1-13 Westmeath 1-3
3/2/1974, Kinnegad, Derry 2-7 Westmeath 0-5
5/3/1978, Castletown-Geoghegan, Westmeath 1-7 Derry 0-9
8/10/1978, Ballinascreen, Derry 3-11 Westmeath 0-10
8/4/1979, Cusack Park, Derry 1-9 Westmeath 0-8
7/10/1979, Magherafelt, Derry 1-15 Westmeath 1-4
1/12/1985, Lavey, Derry 1-11Westmeath 0-3
3/4/1994, Enniskillen, Westmeath 3-6 Derry 0-11
19/10/1997, Ballinascreen, Westmeath 0-10 Derry 0-10 (draw)
11/2/2007, Derry, Westmeath 3-10 Derry 1-9
15/2/2009, Ballinascreen, Derry 1-18 Westmeath 0-7
8/4/2012, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-15 Derry 0-10
7/4//2013, Derry, Derry 2-17 Westmeath 1-5
28/4/2013, Croke Park, Derry 1-18 Westmeath 0-15
2/3/2014, Derry, Derry 3-16 Westmeath 0-12
WESTMEATH v. CARLOW previous NHL meetings (25)
Westmeath won 13
Carlow won 12
0 draws
30/1/1977, Carlow, Westmeath 5-11 Carlow 2-6
21/10/1979, Cusack Park, Westmeath 2-9 Carlow 2-3
22/11/1981, Collinstown, Westmeath 0-14 Carlow 1-8
27/3/1983, Carlow, Westmeath 3-7 Carlow 1-11
25/2/1990, Castletown-Geoghegan, Westmeath 0-9 Carlow 0-2
14/10/1990, Cusack Park, Westmeath 3-7 Carlow 0-12
17/11/1991, Carlow, Carlow 0-12 Westmeath 0-8
8/11/1992, Castletown-Geoghegan, Westmeath 1-12 Carlow 1-9
1/6/1998, Tullamore, Westmeath 4-8 Carlow 1-11
9/5/1999, Carlow, Carlow 2-9 Westmeath 1-5
23/5/2000, Cusack Park, Carlow 3-11 Westmeath 2-11
5/5/2001, Carlow, Westmeath 5-15 Carlow 2-9
13/4/2003, Cusack Park, Westmeath 5-14 Carlow 0-13
23/4/2005, Carlow, Carlow 3-11 Westmeath 3-8
20/4/2008, Limerick, Westmeath 2-12 Carlow 0-12
28/3/2009, Cusack Park, Carlow 2-15 Westmeath 0-15
28/2/2010, Carlow, Carlow 5-17 Westmeath 1-10
2/4/2011, Carlow, Carlow 2-15 Westmeath 1-14
18/3/2012, Carlow, Carlow 2-17 Westmeath 1-16
15/4/2012, Kilkenny, Carlow 1-14 Westmeath 0-12
23/3/2014, Carlow, Carlow 2-21 Westmeath 0-13
22/3/2015, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-14 Carlow 1-13
20/3/2016, Carlow, Carlow 0-20 Westmeath 1-15
26/3/2016, Tullamore, Westmeath 0-10 Carlow 0-8
12/2/2017, TEG Cusack Park, Carlow 1-13 Westmeath 1-11
The Westmeath side which famously edged out the Sam Maguire Cup holders in the NFL quarter-final on 3 April 1994 in Enniskillen.
Back row, l to r: John Murray, Oliver Keating, Michael Broder, Noel Lynch, John Conlon, Damien Burke, Anthony Coyne, John O’Brien.
Front row, l to r: Aidan Collins, Ger Heavin, Larry Giles, John Fleming, Michael ‘Spike’ Fagan, Dermot Ryan (capt.), Jack Cooney.