Westmeath Minor Football Championship: Mullingar Shamrocks 4-13 Garrycastle 2-12.

Mullingar Shamrocks young minor team (14 of 15 starters are eligible again next year) and their mentors have laboured long and hard this year with very little reward finally tasted some success with this fine victory against Garrycastle in Springfield on Wednesday evening. An injury to Darragh White was the only lowlight of the evening and we wish Darragh a speedy recovery.

Shamrocks started well and Matthew Maslin knocked over two points in the early stages which were cancelled by two similar Garrycastle efforts. Cormac Hynes (a great long-range effort) and Eóin Mulvihill exchanged points before Cian Roe, Matthew Maslin (0-2) and Jack Gillen (0-2) scored five unanswered points to extend the Mullingar lead (0-8 to 0-3). A Garrycastle point had little impact as almost immediately Padraic McKenna intercepted a Garrycastle pass and crashed the ball to the net (1-8 to 0-4). Matthew Maslin who gave an exhibition of clinical finishing added two more points before Garrycastle added 1-2 to reduce the gap significantly before the interval (1-10 to 1-6).

Garrycastle reduced the deficit immediately after half-time with a point before Kenneth O’Reilly and Padraic McKenna added two points to Shamrocks total. A brilliant block by Conor Fitzpatrick prevented a certain Garrycastle goal and on at least three other occasions great defending by Fitzpatrick and goalkeeper Marc Watters prevented major scores. The Mullingar Shamrocks forwards responded to the heroic defending and scored three good goals. After Fitzpatrick’s great block, Shamrocks broke upfield and Cormac Hynes released Dylan Matthews who jet-propelled through the Garrycastle defence before passing to Dylan Murphy who finished to the net (2-12 to 1-8). Garrycastle responded with two points before Matthew Maslin’s attempt for a point dropped short but was gathered by Jack Gillen who was calculated and deliberate as he blasted to the net. Soon after a Padraic McKenna run through the heart of the Garrycastle defence ended with Dylan Murphy scoring his second goal and this score as well as a great save by Conor Fitzpatrick and two by Marc Watters sealed the Shamrocks victory. Between this burst of activity, two Matthew Maslin pointed frees completed the impressive Shamrocks tally for the evening. With eight points on the night scored off an educated left-foot, Matthew was the most impressive forward on the night

Mullingar Shamrocks: Marc Watters; Darragh White (Brandon Heffernan), Conor Fitzpatrick, Peter Bane (Brian Reidy); Cormac Darby, Mark Eivers, Dylan Matthews; Padraic McKenna (1-1) and Kenneth O’Reilly; John O’Reilly, Cormac Hynes (0-1), Dylan Murphy (2-0); Matthew Maslin (0-8), Jack Gillen (1-2) [Sean Wylie], Cian Roe (0-1) [Adam McCormack].