Wicklow’s new season begins this weekend
THE draws, dates and times for Wicklow’s Leinster championship fixtures were revealed last week with John Evans’ Senior footballers facing a Saturday evening clash with Kildare in Netwatch Cullen Park on May 11.
Should Wicklow emerge from this incredibly difficult though by no means impossible task then they would travel to Glennon Brothers Park in Longford to face the home side on May 25 or 26.
A likely meeting with Dublin awaits the winners of this meeting in the provincial semi-final.
Wicklow’s Junior side will face Louth at home in the Junior Leinster Championship with the winners facing Meath away in the semi-finals. This is a championship that has not been treated with the utmost respect by the Garden County in recent times.
In the Leinster Under-20 Football Championship it’s a trip to Innovate Wexford Park to face the Model County in the opening joust with a home venue against Louth the reward.
Kevin O’Brien will have mixed feelings about his side’s place- ment in Group 3 of the Leinster Minor Football Championship draw along with Kilkenny, Kildare and Louth. A sensational draw against the Wee County last year and that thriller in Newbridge and replay in Joule Park Aughrim against Kildare will leave the Baltinglass and Wicklow legend in no doubt as to the test that awaits to finish in the top two and make the quarter-finals. The first game is scheduled for April 23.
Meanwhile the Bord na Mona O’Byrne Cup competition gets underway this weekend with Wicklow travelling to Newtownforbes to face Longford on Saturday evening at 7pm. The full O’Byrne Cup draw for Wicklow is as follows: Longford v Wicklow; Wicklow v Louth, December 15; Wicklow v Laois January 5.
The Wicklow hurlers face a very tough task this Sunday for Eamonn Scallan’s opening game as manager when they travel to face Westmeath in the Bord na Mona Kehoe Cup first round game.
A win here for the visitors would see them through to the semi-final. Defeat would send them face to face with Antrim in Abbotstown on December 16.