New trophy maintains Examiner’s long association with SHC

Westmeath Examiner Community & Sports Awards

The Westmeath Examiner is continuing its long association with Westmeath’s premier hurling competition by sponsoring a brand new Westmeath Examiner Perpetual Trophy, the cup presented to the winners of the Westmeath senior hurling championship.

The Examiner will present the cup to officials from Westmeath GAA at this Thursday evening’s Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards in the Mullingar Park Hotel.

In October, the captain of the winning Slevin’s Coaches SHC ‘A’ club will get their hands on the new piece of silverware.

Then new trophy is the work by John J Cooke and Co Ltd, based in Dublin’s Temple Bar. Commissioned jointly by the Westmeath Examiner and Westmeath GAA, the solid-silver cup will include a new, broader plinth to incorporate the engraved names of winners from 1950 onwards and into the future.

The previous cup, first presented in 2017 to Castletown Geoghegan captain Liam Varley, has been retired, with Raharney the current holders.

The Examiner’s sponsorship of the new trophy, which is the fourth iteration, continues the newspaper’s special relationship with club hurling in Westmeath, which stretches all the way back to the 1950s.

In 1962, then editor and later proprietor of this newspaper, the late Mr Nicholas Nally, was approached by Westmeath GAA officials to sponsor a new perpetual trophy for the county’s premier hurling championship.

An earlier ‘Westmeath Examiner Cup’ was first presented in the 1950s to Westmeath’s minor hurling champions, but from 1963 onwards, the Examiner made another cup available for the senior competition.

The original Westmeath Examiner Cup presented at senior level, was first claimed by the Rickardstown club, who defeated Castlepollard 6-5 to 0-9 in the senior hurling final on Sunday October 6, 1963 in Cusack Park. The silverware was presented by then county board chairman, Comdt Dinny O’Callaghan, to Rickardstown captain and Westmeath hurling legend, John ‘Jobber’ McGrath.

Some 52 years ago, the first trophy was retained by the St Brigid’s club after its three-in-a-row success at senior grade, and a second cup was offered by the Examiner, which was retired after the 2016 championship and is on display in TEG Cusack Park.

“We are thrilled to unveil the new Westmeath Examiner Cup, a fitting tribute to over seven decades of partnership and tradition,” said Damien Maher, sports editor with the Westmeath Examiner.

“This impressive new trophy not only honours the rich history of our senior hurling championship, it also symbolises the passion and dedication of all those who have competed for glory in Westmeath.

“The new trophy will undoubtedly elevate the championship, inspiring future generations to achieve even greater success.”

Westmeath GAA County Committee chairman, Frank Mescall, gave a positive welcome to the new trophy.

“We are delighted that the Westmeath Examiner has sponsored another cup – this is their third one at this stage. We are delighted with the quality of the cup, it’s a silver trophy, old style, and of great quality. It’s brilliant to see all the previous winners since 1950 engraved on it and we are looking forward to many years ahead when other great clubs will be added,” he said.

“We are absolutely thrilled that the Westmeath Examiner has maintained its involvement with our senior hurling championship.”