The Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Slevin's Coaches Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Westmeath IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1985 for the third tier hurling teams in the county of Westmeath in Ireland.
In its current format, the Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship begins with a group stage. The six participating teams play each other in a round-robin system. The four top-ranking teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at TEG Cusack Park.
The Westmeath Intermediate Championship was founded in 1985 in an effort to bridge the standard of play between the Westmeath Senior Championship and the Westmeath Junior Championship. For 35 years, the Westmeath Intermediate Championship was the second tier championship in the Westmeath hurling championship system.
A review of Westmeath's hurling championships in 2019 proposed that the Westmeath SHC and Westmeath IHC be restructured. This resulted in the creation of the Westmeath Senior B Hurling Championship. Each of the three championships would consist of six teams. The first championship following the restructuring featured the five teams who didn't make 2019 final, as well as the 2019 Westmeath JAHC winners who gained automatic promotion.[3]
Format
Group stage
Six clubs start in the group stage. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed five group games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top three teams qualify for the knockout stage
Knockout stage
Semi-finals: The top four teams from the group stage contest this round.
Final: The two semi-final winner contests the final. The winning team are declared champions.
Slevin's Coaches had been providing sponsorship for a number of years before renewing their sponsorship of all Westmeath's hurling championships in July 2020.[4]
Trophy and medals
The Adrian Murray Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. It was commissioned to honour Adrian Murray, a member of the Crookedwood club who served in a number of administrative roles with the Westmeath County Board.[5] He died in November 2006, at the age of 59..
