Castletown Geoghegan manager Alan Mangan with team captain Aonghus Clarke.

Castletown Geoghegan celebrate 15th senior hurling title

Winning Castletown Geoghegan manager Alan Mangan paid tribute to ace forward David O'Reilly, whose early goal gave his team the ideal start in Saturday's Westmeath SHC final at TEG Cusack Park. In front of a bumper crowd, they overcame Lough Lene Gaels by 1-27 to 2-17 to claim the Westmeath Examiner Cup for the 15th time.

"It's exactly the start we were looking for. We asked the lads to try and put a ball into the square, to try and get David O'Reilly one-on-one. There are very few lads in the country who are going to contend with him. He's a great bit of stuff. It was a great win, and he got out of trouble and buried a shot into the bottom corner," Mangan reflected.

Mangan, a former player, said the victory is something everyone in the club and the close-knit community can savour. He paid tribute to all players, everyone involved, and indeed former manager Pat O'Brien, whose great work laid the foundation for senior titles in 2022 and this year.

"It means everything," he said, reflecting on the team's achievements and the dedication of the players. "This group of lads—there's nothing like training them. It's a joy to be involved with them."

Jack Gallagher (Castletown Geoghegan) gets his shot away as Dan Higgins (Lough Lene Gaels) attempts to block, in Saturday's SHC final at TEG Cusack Park.

A better-balanced Castletown Geoghegan side ultimately emerged with the spoils, and Mangan paid tribute to their opponents Lough Lene Gaels, who led at half-time before a stirring third quarter gave the Black and Ambers a decisive margin.

Winning captain Aonghus Clarke delivered a memorable acceptance speech, acknowledging all players and everyone connected with the successful side.

"It's unbelievable, a super win. We kept the scoreboard ticking over, that was the difference. David O'Reilly has been amazing all year and we felt if we could isolate him inside, he could do damage and that's how it panned it. We had a long lay-off of six weeks which wasn't ideal, but we came more and more into the game and the skill level of the team was excellent for November," he said.

Winning two senior titles in three years is the club's biggest achievement since they did so back in the 1950s.

Frank Mescall, Westmeath Co Committee chairman; Damien Maher, Westmeath Examiner Sports Editor, and Castletown Geoghegan captain Aonghus Clarke at the presentation of the new Westmeath Examiner Cup.