O’Byrne and Walsh Cup fixtures released

Meath footballers will face a couple of stiff tests if they are to advance to the O’Byrne Cup semi-finals with games against Carlow, UCD and Laois, while Martin ennis’s hurlers first game in many years in the Walsh Cup will see them open at home to Carlow before welcoming Wexford a week later.
The minimum of three games in the O’Byrne Cup will be manager Mick O’Dowd’s last chance to try out new players ahead of what is expected to be a very tough NFL Div 2 campaign.
Meath will open with a trip to Dr Cullen Park on Sunday 3rd January before the visit of UCD on Wednesday 6th January will cause a bit of a fixture headache for the Co Board.
With the floodlights out of commission at Pairc Tailteann, and unlikely to be back in place for the O’Byrne Cup second round game, it has been speculated that either Simonstown or Ashbourne will host the Dublin students.
Navan venue Simonstown appears to be the front runner to hold the game four days before Meath will then welcome Laois to Pairc Tailteann on Sunday 10th January for their final group game.
If Meath manage to top the group they will contest the O’Byrne Cup semi-finals on Sunday 17th January with the final fixed for Sunday 24th January, one week before the start of the NFL Div 2 campaign at home to Armagh.
Having won the Kehoe Cup for the last two years Meath will join the hurling elite in Leinster for the Walsh Cup game and will face a couple of very tough tests.
The visit of Carlow, most likely to Trim, on Sunday 3rd January will give manager Ennis a clear view of how his team are shaping up and it won’t get any easier when Wexford visit St Loman’s Park a week later. Carlow IT will provide the opposition for Meath’s third home game of the competition and they could well be the toughest test of the lot.
O’Byrne Cup 2016: Group A - Dublin, Wexford, DCU, IT Carlow; Group B - Kildare, Offaly, Louth, DIT; Group C - Meath, Laois, Carlow, UCD; Group D - Westmeath, Wicklow, Longford, Maynooth University
Walsh Cup 2016: Group 1 - Kilkenny, Offaly, DIT; Group 2 - Laois, Dublin, Antrim, UCD; Group 3 - Wexford, Meath, Carlow, IT Carlow; Group 4: Galway, Westmeath, NUI Galway, DCU.