It was the double that all Westmeath Gaels craved to start off the serious business of 2018, and it duly materialised in Carlow and Derry last Sunday with the hurlers and footballers recording very noteworthy away wins by four and three points respectively.

While both victories were deserved, Lady Luck undoubtedly wore maroon and white colours on the day, with a last-gasp penalty for the Oak Leaf men being saved in Celtic Park and the Barrowsiders having a ‘goal’ disallowed late on in Netwatch Cullen Park.

Weather permitting, diehard fans who had to choose between the two venues in Ulster and south Leinster last Sunday will get to see both of the Lake County’s flagship teams in action in a double-header in TEG Cusack Park next Sunday. Revenge would be very welcome for two of the most bitter pills to swallow during 2016 – a catastrophic loss this time last year to the Lilywhite hurlers in the league in Newbridge and an ill-tempered football qualifier defeat in Mullingar at the hands of the Orchard County in the summer.

The league stats v. Kildare in hurling and v. Armagh in football are as follows:

WESTMEATH v. KILDARE previous NHL meetings (29)
Westmeath won 16
Kildare won 11
2 draws
18/5/1969, Croke Park, Kildare 4-13 Westmeath 1-5
19/4/1970, Tullamore, Kildare 5-9 Westmeath 3-4
18/4/1971, Cusack Park, Kildare 4-12 Westmeath 2-6
5/3/1972, Athy, Kildare 1-13 Westmeath 3-3
4/3/1973, Cusack Park, Kildare 1-16 Westmeath 0-4
24/2/1974, Athy, Kildare 9-22 Westmeath 2-9
16/11/1975, Newbridge, Kildare 4-11 Westmeath 1-8
29/1/1978, Newbridge, Westmeath 1-10 Kildare 1-9
27/11/1983, Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-17 Kildare 0-5
12/2/1984, Kilcoole, Westmeath 5-9 Kildare 1-5
4/11/1990, Cusack Park, Westmeath 3-13 Kildare 3-5
21/2/1993, Athy, Westmeath 2-12 Kildare 1-8
23/10/1994, Collinstown, Westmeath 1-4 Kildare 1-3
15/4/1998, Naas, Westmeath 5-13 Kildare 0-8
27/3/1999, Cusack Park, Kildare 2-11 Westmeath 1-10
26/3/2000, Naas, Westmeath 3-13 Kildare 1-18
8/4/2001, Cusack Park, Westmeath 2-11 Kildare 0-12
30/3/2002, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-9 Kildare 0-12 (draw)
23/2/2003, Clane, Kildare 3-10 Westmeath 0-11
22/2/2004, Cusack Park, Westmeath 2-11 Kildare 0-16
20/2/2005, Newbridge, Westmeath 3-15 Kildare 1-5
26/2/2006, Newbridge, Westmeath 1-14 Kildare 1-10
4/3/2007, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-16 Kildare 2-13 (draw)
23/3/2008, Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-11 Kildare 0-9
13/3/2010, Cusack Park, Kildare 4-10 Westmeath 0-11
31/3/2013, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-22 Kildare 2-12
16/3/2014, Newbridge, Westmeath 3-11 Kildare 1-14
12/3/2016, Newbridge, Westmeath 0-21 Kildare 0-10
19/2/2017, Newbridge, Kildare 1-16 Westmeath 0-14

The Westmeath senior hurling  team which lost by 4-16 to 3-9 to Kildare in the All-Ireland ‘B’ championship in Cusack Park on 27 May 1990.

Back row, l to r: Eamonn Gallagher, Martin Craig, Seamus Boylan, Pat Connaughton, Richie Shaw, Donal Kenny, Seamus McKeogh, David Kilcoyne.
Front row, l to r: Matt Kennedy, Sean McLoughlin, Pat Clancy, Francis O’Farrell, Pat O’Brien, John Kennedy, Eugene Dolan.

 

 

 

WESTMEATH v. ARMAGH previous NFL meetings (19)
Westmeath won 6
Armagh won 13
0 draws
27/10/1935, Armagh, Armagh 3-1 Westmeath 0-9
5/11/1967, Lurgan, Westmeath 1-8 Armagh 0-8
10/11/1968, Athlone, Westmeath 2-8 Armagh 2-5
19/10/1969, Lurgan, Westmeath 2-11 Armagh 2-9
14/2/1971, Cusack Park, Armagh 1-7 Westmeath 0-6
12/12/1971, Lurgan, Westmeath 4-6 Armagh 2-5
3/11/1974, Lurgan, Armagh 4-6 Westmeath 1-2
9/11/1975, Athlone, Armagh 3-10 Westmeath 0-11
21/11/1976, Cusack Park, Armagh 3-11 Westmeath 0-5
20/11/1977, Lurgan, Armagh 3-9 Westmeath 1-4
29/10/1978, Armagh, Armagh 8-13 Westmeath 1-5
3/12/1978, Castletown-Geoghegan, Armagh 4-6 Westmeath 0-8
11/2/1996, Castletown-Geoghegan, Armagh 1-9 Westmeath 2-5
30/11/1997, Cusack Park, Armagh 1-11 Westmeath 2-6
11/2/2001, Crossmaglen, Armagh 3-13 Westmeath 1-7
8/4/2007, Crossmaglen, Armagh 2-10 Westmeath 0-12
17/2/2008, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-11 Armagh 1-6
14/2/2010, Crossmaglen, Armagh 2-19 Westmeath 0-8
24/3/2013, Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-17 Armagh 0-16