Laois GAA Masters' team open campaign with draw to Westmeath

The Gaelic Masters Association (GMA) are back with the 2023 Football Masters, an inter-county competition for players over the age of 40. Laois got their campaign underway on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Clonaslee where they were held to a draw by Westmeath.

The championship format is as follows: 23 teams play 6 round robin games, after which, the bottom 3 teams are relegated. The remaining 20 sides are divided into 5 groups of 4, with the top 4 teams contesting the semi-finals of the A championship (Dr Mick Loftus Cup), the next four teams in the B championship and so on.

Laois 2-12 

Westmeath 1-15

Gaelic Football Masters Round 1

Laois were a bit further north of 40 than their Westmeath counterparts and it showed in the early goings. The visitors were 0-5 to 0-1 up after 12 minutes, but the Laois lads got to terms with the game and started to show their class, specifically Greg Ramsbottom and Paul Dunne who were excellent throughout.  

The hosts scored their two goals midway through the first half. Paul Lawlor scored the first and Dunne got the second from the penalty spot after Derek O’Connell was brought down. Declan Feery was shown a black card for the incident, but the 14 men of Westmeath dominated the next ten minutes to lead 1-9 to 2-3 at half time. 

Laois manager, Fergal Byron had a huge panel at his disposal and made the most of the rolling subs, keeping his side fresh. They outscored Westmeath by nine points to six after the break, with three each from Ramsbottom and substitute, Thomas Tynan. 

Gary Corroon kicked a free with the last act of the game to salvage a draw for Westmeath. Laois will have a sour taste in their mouths not to have held out for the win, but a draw was probably a fair result. 

Next up for Laois is the visit to Leitrim or Longford on Saturday May 27. They will travel to Limerick and Dublin in June, Cork in July, and finish at home to Waterford. In addition to the players on show in Clonaslee, Laois have recruited former Donegal and London player, Paddy McConigley, who now plays with Railyard.