Local competitors seek glory

A total of 139 aspiring athletes from Westmeath are due to participate as the HSE Community Games August National Finals come to Athlone for the first ever time over the course of the next two action packed weekends. Athlone has rarely witnessed such a festival of sport for young people and thousands of athletes and spectators are expected to visit the town over the course of the next two weeks. The local areas represented this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, are Beechpark/Coosan, Tubberclair/Glasson, Moate, Drumraney/Tang, Mount Temple/Baylin, Retreat, Ballymahon Road (Athlone) and Ballymore. North Westmeath is also well represented this weekend with athletes from areas such as The Downs, Rochfortbridge and Kinnegad/Coralstown all taking part. Athlone, of course, already hosted the first weekend of the 2009 Community Games National Finals in May when roughly 3,000 people converged on the town, and a similar number of people are expected to visit the town this weekend. The final weekend of this year's Games, from August 21-23, could the attract up to 5,000 people including athletes. This weekend also sees the various sports being spread out across the greater Athlone region, with the likes of gymnastics, Gaelic football and soccer taking place at Athlone IT, pitch and putt at Bealnamulla, swimming at Athlone Regional Sports Centre, tennis at Athlone GAA Centre, and volleyball at Our Lady's Bower, Athlone. Other sports taking place this weekend include Olympic handball, skittles, judo, grass cycling and hockey. A total of 65 athletes from Westmeath have qualified for this weekend's action, with Ballymahon Road's hockey team (girls, under-16) boasting the largest number of participants (18), followed by the Beechpark/Coosan Variety Group (under-16) who are defending their All-Ireland title this year. Secretary of the Beechpark/Coosan Community Games organisation, Breda O'Leary, said: "We have 14 kids taking part in our variety group this year and look forward to defending our title. We have won the Leinster title three years in a row and the All-Ireland last year. We are delighted to get an opportunity to defend our title in our home town." The Beechpark/Coosan Variety Group, who will be in action in the six-team final at 2.30pm on Saturday at AIT's Multi-Purpose Hall, is made up of Chloe Rowan, Eileen and Sinead Reidy, Cliodhna and Ashling Golden, Edel Hannon, Sarah Lough, Orla Mooney, Ciara Egan, Ronan Donohoe, Maeve Herd, Niamh Brady, Fabian Cooke and Brendan Gibbons, while Niamh Donohoe, Joe Duke, Fiona McManus, Kathleen Sweeney and Breda O'Leary are an important part of the whole process. This Friday is also a historic day for Ballymahon Road Community Games when Kay O'Connell leads the girls under-16 team into the Community Games National Finals in their home town. On Saturday at 2.30pm at Athlone Regional Sports Centre, the girls take on the Connacht champions, Salthill, in the semi-final. The Salthill team, current Connacht champions and former national winners of this event, will present formidable opposition to the local team. However, having already disposed of a much fancied Kildare outfit in Leinster the team must believe they have a great chance on home soil. Back in 1984, Beechpark/Coosan's under-16 hockey team, coached by Leila Comber, claimed a bronze medal at the national finals in Mosney after winning both the Westmeath and Leinster titles. The opening ceremony is due to take place on Friday at 6pm at the all-weather pitch in Athlone IT and the swimming, hard-court tennis, pitch and putt, and gymnastics get the weekend action up and running from 9am on Saturday morning. The vast majority of finals the take place on Sunday. The weekend's activities will be rounded up with a disco for all participants at Athlone IT's Multi-Purpose Hall at 8.30pm on Sunday evening. Westmeath Qualifiers The full list of competitors from Westmeath this weekend is as follows: Beechpark/Coosan: Variety - Orla Mooney + U-13 Squad, Ronan Donohoe, Brendan Gibbons + U-16 F/S, Maeve Herd, Cliodhna Golden, Ciara Egan, Edel Hannon, Sarah Lough, Niamh Brady, Chloe Rowan, Sinead Reidy + U-12 F/S + Squad, Eileen Reidy, Aisling Golden, Fabian Cooke, Ciaran McDermott U-13 Squad, David Fitzsimons U-14 Bk/S + Squad, Bill Kelly U-12 Bk/S + Squad, Shane Gibbons U-12 F/S + Squad, Eoin Meaney U-12 Br/S + Squad, Michelle Gibbons U-13 Squad, Brionna Geoghegan U-13 Squad, Nathaniel O'Neill U-8 F/S, Mihailo Sreckovic U-12 Gym. Tubberclair/Glasson: Eve Kelleher U-12 Gym, Keith Harrington U-14 Gym, Lisa Harrington U-12 Bk/S. Moate: Bryan Scully U-10 F/S. Drumraney/Tang: Alana Friel U-10 Bk/S; Mount Temple/Baylin: Dearbhla Duignan U-10 F/S, and Aoife Connolly U-12 Br/S. Ballymahon Road: Hockey - Alison Fagan, Emma Fagan, Ciara Devaney, Lauren Kennedy, Emily Connell, Laura McCullagh, Renata Downes, Aisling Hurley, Mairin Ryan, Eimear McCarrick, Rachael Emerson, Emma Jackson, Eimear O'Driscoll, Anna McCullagh, Emma Kiernan, Nicole Collison; Aidan Mannion U-16 Gym. Retreat: Aoife Gill U-16 Gym., Kate Brennan U-12 Cycling. Ballymore: Jor-El McLoughlin U-10 Gym., Kelly Ennis U-8 F/S., Oisin Ryan U-10 Bk/S., Siobhan Ryan U-14 Bk/S. D.L.B.C.: William Hayes U-14 Bk/S and Sinead Whelan U-14 Bk/S. Ballinea/Brotenstown: Donal Liddy U-14 F/S. The Downs: Jack Kennedy U-14 Cycling. Delvin: Caoimhe Gaffney U-14 Gym. Rochfortbridge: Emer Kelly U-14 Cycling, Ciara Duffy U-16 F/S., Elaine Geraghty U-16 Bk/S. Multyfarnham: Caoimhe Dunne U-14 Br./S. Ballynacargy/Sonna: Anna Bannon U-8 Gym. Kinnegad/Coralstown: Nicole Gorry U-10 Gym, and Ciaran Leech U-12 Cycling.