Westmeath's intermediate ladies football team acquitted themselves superbly in 2007 by reaching the Leinster and National League Division 3 finals as well as the All-Ireland quarter-final. It wasn't a bad year either for the underage sides, with the minors also qualifying for a provincial decider. Despite missing out on silverware, Westmeath's ladies football teams can still take a great deal of encouragement from their performances over the past year. In their first year competing at intermediate level, the Lake County contested the Leinster final, the All-Ireland quarter-final and also reached the National League Division 3 final. The minor team built on their 2006 Leinster 'B' triumph by reaching the Leinster 'A' final, only to lose to a strong Dublin outfit. Under the management of 1995 All-Ireland minor winner Kenny McKinley and fellow St. Loman's clubman Pat Laide, the intermediate team showed real signs of progress in 2007 and they will have an opportunity to make further strides when they compete in Division 2 of the National League this year. They achieved promotion by virtue of their appearance in last year's Division 3 final. Despite losing to Derry in their final divisional match, earlier wins over Kilkenny and Antrim saw Westmeath go through to the quarter-final where they defeated Carlow. They saw off the challenge of Louth in the semi-final to set up a meeting with Fermanagh in the final at Hyde Park, which was shown live on TG4. Sadly for Westmeath, they never performed to their capabilities and were soundly beaten on a 3-10 to 5-13 scoreline. Much of the damage was done in a catastrophic opening quarter during which they fell 11 points in arrears. For the entire first half, the Lake County defence was under severe pressure and they could never get to grips with Fermanagh's outstanding midfielder Caroline Little, who finished with a personal tally of 1-8. Little scored the first goal after just four minutes and further majors from Aine McBrien and Eimir Martin helped the Ernesiders to a comfortable 3-6 to 0-3 interval lead. Fermanagh resumed with three more points before soccer international Leona Archbold finally gave Westmeath supporters something to cheer about with a well-taken goal. Further points from Fiona Leavy and Archbold reduced the deficit to just seven points with less than 15 minutes remaining, but any hopes of a sensational comeback were dispelled when Sharon Little fired home Fermanagh's fourth goal to give them a 4-12 to 1-6 lead. To their credit, the Lake County girls never gave up and were rewarded with late goals from Archbold and Laura Halligan. However, Fermanagh had the final say when substitute Lynne McFrederick blasted home their fifth goal. Westmeath were one of just four teams to compete in the Leinster intermediate championship, and they booked their place in the final courtesy of a 0-10 to 0-6 victory over Louth at Milltown on April 14. In a keenly contested match, Westmeath led by 0-5 to 0-3 at half-time and the outcome remained in doubt until an injury-time point from Fiona Claffey made sure of the win. A fortnight later, Westmeath squared up to Wexford in the provincial final at Dr Cullen Park. But just like in the Division 3 final which took place a week later, Westmeath failed to do themselves justice in a 0-9 to 4-12 defeat. A more experienced and physical Wexford proved much too strong for a Westmeath team that was always playing catch-up after the winners opened up a 2-4 to 0-1 lead inside the first quarter. Wexford, who plied their trade in Division 2 of the National League and ousted Longford in the Leinster semi-final, made a dream start when Bridget Curran goaled after just two minutes. Sharon Kehoe added a second goal nine minutes later and Curran's second major in the 17th minute left Westmeath trailing by 0-5 to 3-8 at half-time. The second half was a mundane affair with Wexford's big lead never really coming under treat, and it was left to substitute Georgina Moore to apply the coup de grace when she grabbed their fourth goal in stoppage time. "Wexford got off to a great start and the early goals meant we were playing catch-up for most of the match," Westmeath manager Kenny McKinley said afterwards. "We then had to take unnecessary risks but I take my hat off to Wexford, they were the better team. They are one of the teams we have to look up to as we aim to keep improving. "When we took this team over (in 2006), it was a three-year process and we have taken bigger steps this year than we thought we would. As part of the learning process, you have to lose a final or two in order to win one." After the Division 3 final, Westmeath regrouped for the All-Ireland intermediate championship. Despite losing to both Wexford and champions-elect Leitrim, they qualified for the quarter-final by virtue of the fact that they received walkovers from Louth and Limerick. But the concession of three first half goals against Clare at Ballinasloe put paid to their hopes of progressing to the last four. Forced to field without key players Fiona Leavy, Johanna Maher, Elaine Finn, Eimear Connellan and Leona Archbold due to injuries and holidays, Westmeath struggled in their absence, particularly in the first half when they were outscored by 3-6 to 0-3. The midlanders upped their performance in the second period and were handed a lifeline when Mairead McCormack netted in the 47th minute. The Banner County, however, held on for a 3-12 to 1-10 victory. The minor team, which was coached by Ollie Rogers, Paul McGann, Brendan King, PJ McManus and Eugene Keenan, made a major impact by reaching the Leinster 'A' championship final. A late Sinead Walker penalty gave them a dramatic 2-8 to 1-10 quarter-final victory over Laois, and they followed that up with an emphatic win over Kildare at Cusack Park. Westmeath travelled to Clane, Co. Kildare on May 12 with high hopes of defeating Dublin in the Leinster final, but the Metropolitans produced a strong second half display to run out 2-13 to 1-6 winners. Westmeath trailed by just two points at the interval, 1-2 to 0-7, but an early second half goal put Dublin on the road to a comfortable win. The highlight of the under 16 side's year was undoubtedly their thrilling 4-14 to 4-10 victory over Meath in the Leinster championship. Westmeath trailed by six points, 0-6 to 3-3, at half-time, but three second half goals from Maud-Anne Foley, Sarah Dolan and Ciara Blundell saw the maroon and whites force extra-time. The Royals regained the lead in the first period of extra-time, but Westmeath weren't to be denied and a fourth goal from Louise Kelly sealed a dramatic win. Westmeath subsequently lost to Dublin before their championship interests were eventually ended by Laois in the provincial semi-final. At under 14 level, Westmeath suffered Leinster championship defeats to Meath and Dublin, but all in all, it was a highly satisfying year and if the county continues its current rate of progress, a return to the glory days of the 1980s may not be out of the question. The Westmeath team that lined out against Wexford in the Leinster intermediate ladies football final was: Gemma Leahy; Edel Marshall, Joanne McCormack, Carol Finch; Aileen Martin, Lisa Burke, Aoife McCormack; Fiona Leavy, Fiona Claffey; Johanna Maher, Edel McCormack, Triona Durkan; Elaine Finn, Laura Walsh, Laura Halligan. Subs used: Sarah Corcoran, Leona Archbold, Aileen Leavy and Carol McKinley. The Westmeath minor team that faced Dublin in the Leinster 'A' final was: Tracy Tighe; Edel Marshall, Darina Keenan, Rebecca Dunne; Johanna Maher, Jenny Rogers, Susan Brady; Fiona Leavy, Ruth Kearney; Karen McDermott, Claire Killian, Elaine Finn; Georgina Fagan, Emma Morris, Mairead McCormack. Subs used: Maud-Anne Foley, Christine Deegan, Stacey Holloway, Siobhan Loran and Aine Melody. Tweet

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