Westmeath SFC quarter-final draw throws up local derby as Dolan suffers serious injury

Westmeath's James Dolan celebrates. ©INPHO/James Crombie.

Neighbours Athlone and Moate All-Whites have been paired together in the Westmeath SFC quarter-final draw.

The two qualified from the weaker Section B along with last year’s intermediate champions Tubberclair, who have been pitted against St Loman’s in the other quarter-final. After drawing their first four games, former kingpins St Loman’s secured their first win over Caulry last weekend to pip Garrycastle for the third and final qualifying spot from Section A.

Garrycastle's defeat to The Downs was overshadowed by a serious knee injury to their former county star James Dolan.

As the top two finishers in Section A, holders The Downs and last year’s runners-up Coralstown/Kinnegad qualify directly for the semi-finals. The quarter-finals will be played next weekend, with an open draw taking place afterwards to determine who the winners meet in the semi-final.

The Round 5 results in Section A were The Downs 3-15 Garrycastle 2-11, Coralstown/Kinnegad 1-17 Mullingar Shamrocks 1-10 and St Loman’s 0-18 Caulry 0-15, while Moate All-Whites defeated Killucan 2-12 to 1-9 and Tubberclair drew 2-18 to 3-15 with Athlone in Section B. The other Section B tie between Tyrrellspass and Tang was a relegation shootout which the former edged by 0-18 to 0-17 thanks to two injury-time points.