Eamon Gibney’s (Castletown) bid to retain his Leinster Matchplay crown will begin with a first round assignment against Old County’s Adam McGreal, the 2010 Dublin Intermediate Strokeplay champion.

In addition to Gibney, four former provincial Matchplay champions tee up at Navan. Three-time kingpin William Buckley Junior (Erry) faces Meath Inter-County player David Campbell (Trim).

A tasty opening round encounter brings together 2023 winner Ian Dillon (St. Bridget’s) and his immediate predecessor Sean Goggin (MacBride). Dean Grannell (St. Patrick’s) already won at Navan in 2017 and will hope to build on that against Erry’s Stephen O’Brien.

Two former runners-up have been drawn together in Round 1. Jim Judge (MacBride) was a finalist ten years ago while Stephen Murray (Old County) was beaten by Ian Dillon in the 2023 decider at St. Patrick’s before clinching the Leinster Strokeplay championship at Ierne twelve months later.

No player has won both the Leinster Intermediate Matchplay and Leinster Senior Matchplay titles. Two players with an opportunity to do just that, 2023 inter champ Wayne Allen (St. Patrick’s) and his 1996 counterpart Mark Gibney (Trim) clash in the first round at Navan.

To World Cup winner Padraic Sarsfield (MacBride) falls the honour of striking the opening teeshot of the championship. That will be against Erry’s Leonard O’Meara, third place finisher in the 2022 Irish Senior Open.

2011 European Strokeplay champion Ian Farrelly (Laytown) battles with Francis Feeley (Stackallen) in an all-Meath Inter-County star showdown.

Former Leinster Strokeplay titleholders George McGreal (Old County), Darren Fagan (Seapoint) and Keith Redmond (Lucan) will carry a lot of confidence into their matches with 2021 National Intermediate Strokeplay champion Justin McKeon (Prosperous), 2019 Leinster Scotch Foursomes Gross winner Mark Donnelly (MacBride) and 2010 Leinster Mixed Foursomes titleholder Anthony Mahoney (St. Bridget’s).

Last year’s defeated semi-finalists at Erry, Gel Martin (KIllineer) and Paddy Ward (Tullamore), are two standout names in the 2025 Intermediate championship.

Martin plays 2024 Dublin Matchplay champion  Darren Egan (Lucan) while Ward tackles Ben Forde (Navan), one of three Sunday host club members in the inter field. Ciaran Fitzsimons (runner-up in both Meath intermediate championships last year) and Jason Gibney (who starred in Meath colours as a juvenile) are the others.  

The early rounds will be played at Royal Meath, a course that 2021 National Intermediate Strokeplay Nett winner Stephen Knight and Dominic Hynes know well. Seeking to counter that local knowledge will be Stephen Lynch (Rathfeigh) and Colm Yeates (Rocfortbridge) respectively. Lynch was a podium finisher at Poulaphouca in the Leinster Scotch Foursomes recently while Rochfortbridge Club Chairman Colm is a regular winner on the Open and Scratch Cup circuit.

2022 National Junior Strokeplay champ Glen Martin joins his dad Gel in the field. If both survive, they would meet in the first semi-final. Glen must first meet the challenge of Killineer clubmate Christopher Murray, who was a semi-finalist at Bellewstown nine years ago, having won at Glenville in 2012.

2022 Leinster Junior Matchplay champion David Holland (Gowran) is a proven mano-a-mano performer. Holland faces James Fleming (Mellows).

A 2023 Eamonn Birchall Trophy winner with Wexford, Dan Power (St. Patrick’s), is the first round opponent of reigning Meath Matchplay champion Eoghan Stanley (Stackallen).

Power’s fellow Eamon Birchall Cup winner Dale Kirwan (St. Patrick’s) jousts with Kyle Thornton (Killineer), the 2023 National Junior Strokeplay champion.

Reigning Dublin Matchplay champion Michael Byrne (Lucan) is in the last match out at the bottom of the draw against Tullamore’s Paul Lowry, Offaly Matchplay kingpin last year.

Familiarity with the Royal Meath track should help Royal Meath Junior Scratch Cup runner-up Brian Ayres and Lorenzo Rinaudo (who reached the recent Meath Matchplay final) in the Junior early rounds on Saturday.

Their respective first round adversaries 2024 Offaly Matchplay runner-up Kieran Claffey (Erry) and Gowran’s Michael Holland, the 2024 National Strokeplay runner-up

If Brian Dunphy and last man into action Derry Allen survive the Royal Meath, they will be assured of plenty of home support at Navan on Sunday. First they will need to deal with the not inconsiderable challenges posed by Liam O’Brien (St. Patrick’s), a regular qualifier in recent years and 2023 Leinster Schools tournament runner-up Cian Monaghan (MacBride).

Foursomes specialist Richard Brennan (Bellewstown) takes on Matthew Holland, who has shone for Gowran in team events.

Lucan’s Stephen Needham captured third place in last year’s Leinster Strokeplay. Needham will take on 2024 semi-finalist Aidan Brereton (Eden).

Brereton’s club colleague Richard McNamee was Royal Meath Junior B Scratch Cup runner-up earlier in the season. McNamee faces John McDonald (Gowran), a final round qualifier in last year’s National Junior Strokeplay championship at RGSC.

Kildare champion Peadar O’Toole (Athgarvan) will do battle with Killineer Club Strokeplay champion Richard Tinley.

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