The Westmeath Senior B Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Slevin's Coaches Westmeath Senior B Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Westmeath SBHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2020 for the second tier senior hurling teams in the county of Westmeath in Ireland.
In its current format, the Westmeath Senior B Hurling Championship begins with a group stage. The six participating teams play each other in a round-robin system. The three top-ranking teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at TEG Cusack Park. The winner of the Westmeath Senior B Championship qualifies for the subsequent Leinster Intermediate Club Championship.
Fr Dalton's are the title holders after defeating Delvin by 3-12 t0 3-11 in the 2024 final.
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 SBHC. Each of the three championships would consist of six teams. The inaugural championship in 2020 featured three regraded teams from Group B of the 2019 Westmeath SHC, the loser of the SHC relegation playoff and the two 2019 Westmeath IHC finalists.[1]
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 second and third-placed teams from the group stage contest this round. The winner of this game advances to the final.
Final: The top team from the group stage and the semi-final winner contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.
Slevin's Coaches had been providing sponsorship for a number of years and were unveiled as the sponsor of the Westmeath SBHC in July 2020.[2]
Trophy and medals
The Mickey Power Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. It was commissioned to honour Mickey Power, a member of the Cullion club who served in a number of administrative roles with the Westmeath County Board, including as Chairman of the Hurling Board.[3] He died in February 2020, shortly before the start of the inaugural championship.
In accordance with GAA rules, the County Board awards a set of gold medals to the championship winners. The medals depict a stylised version of the Westmeath GAA crest.
