Draws for new minor and U21 grades made

THERE will be new formats to the 2018 Leinster minor (U-17) and Under-20 championship, the draws for which were made recently.

The minor championship consists of two group, with Group 1 comprising of Louth, Meath, Dublin, Westmeath, Offaly and Wicklow. Group 2 includes Wexford, Kildare, Carlow, Laois and Longford.

The competition is set to start on Monday May 7th, with a full round of matches in each group.

Meath start their campaign away to Westmeath, while Louth are away to Dublin. The Royals’ first home tie is against Dublin on Wednesday May 23rd, while Louth host Wicklow the same evening.

The Wee County will have home advantage against Meath on Wednesday May 30th in a round three tie.

The top two counties in each section qualify for semi-finals, which will be played at neutral venues. There is also a shield competition for teams finishing third and fourth in their group.

The Leinster under-20 championship will be played under a similar format but has three groups instead of two.

Meath are included in Group 2 along with Laois, Kildare and Wicklow, while Louth are in a three-team group in Group 3 along with Offaly and Carlow.

Top two teams from each group qualify for quarter-finals, with the winners of Group 1 and 2 going straight into semi-finals. Home and away arrangements apply until the final which will be played at a neutral venue.

Meath’s first outing is on Monday May 28th away to Wicklow. Their two remaining fixtures in the group stages are home ties against Kildare and Laois. Louth’s first outing is at home to Carlow on Monday June 4th, and they are away to Offaly on June 16th.