The 2003 Meath senior hurling championship title was annexed by Kilmessan once again at the expense of latter day rivals Dunboyne at rain swept Pairc Tailteann on September 5th, the blue and white's 26th triumph in the Jubilee Cup. Most importantly for the Kilmessan hurling club is that they now have equalled the record of titles set by their fierce rivals Trim, who last won the championship in 2001. Kilmessan, who now have won back-to-back titles were expected to be rebuilding their team over the next few years, but such is the conveyor belt of talent in the area, the young players introduced to the team have adapted to the senior ranks with relative ease. Even the loss of the experienced Paul Donnelly for the entire year through suspension did not hinder their chances, although after their first match in this year's championship, they may have thought differently. Oliver Horan's charges began the year with a defeat to Trim way back in May and many believed that these two sides would once again be contesting for honours at the end of the year. Trim had three points to spare over Kilmessan on a scoreline of 3-9 to 2-9 and although the town team did make it the last four, Dunboyne soundly beat them in the semi-finals. Kilmessan picked themselves up following the defeat to Trim and beat Rathmolyon in their next outing by 2-17 to 4-4 in an entertaining contest that could have gone either way. Kiltale were the next opponents and they gave the 2002 champions a scare before losing by just four points, 1-14 to 1-10. If the defending champions thought they had a close call against Kiltale, it was nothing compared to the one they received from Boardsmill who were to rue a number of missed chances as Kilmessan held on to win by a solitary point, 1-12 to 1-11. Having already qualified for the last four of the championship, Kilmessan received the added bonus of gaining two extra points without having to swing a hurl in anger as last year's intermediate champions Wolfe Tones did not field in their tie. Navan O'Mahony's were the opponents for the semi-final and as expected there was not much to separate the sides as encounters between the sides over the past few years can verify. The sides played out a 2-10 to 0-16 draw on August 31 when O'Mahony's were in the driving seat nearing the end of the match before county star Nicky Horan once again underlined his stature in Meath hurling with three well taken points in injury time to earn a draw. Ger O'Neill and Horan were injuries doubts before the replay but there was no doubting their impact on the outcome. The former had an outstanding hour at midfield while their top marksman weighed in with 1-7, including the clinching second goal three minutes from time. O'Mahony's can have no complaints about faltering at the penultimate hurdle for the second year running and the third time in five years. To add their woes centre-back and captain Richie Hogan was dismissed on receipt of a second yellow card midway through the second half with the sides tied at 1-8 apiece. While his first booking seemed harsh, the dual player can have no complaints about his second. From then on Kilmessan were in the driving seat. Having erased a seven-point deficit they had now had an extra man and the elements at their back. There was still just two points between the sides when Horan was put through by 16-year-old Joey Keena after two O'Mahony's defenders collided going for a ball and the undoubted talent fired past James Burke in the Mahony's goal. Kilmessan had excellent displays on the day from defenders David Donnelly, John and Martin Horan, while Nicky Horan and Ger O'Neill led the attack with guile. The match finished 2-11 to 1-10 in Kilmessan's favour, as O'Mahony's will feel that the let the game slip away in the drawn match. Once again the defending champions would face Dunboyne in the final as John Gorry's side had beaten Trim in the other semi-final with the eagerly awaited tie fixed for Sunday, October 5. As would be expected for the time of year, the weather conditions were less than favourable as torrential rain threatened to take the gloss off the match. To be fair both sides showed great hunger, commitment and at times over enthusiasm in a tight affair that could easily have went the way of the challengers. Despite playing against a stiff breeze in the first half, Dunboyne were well in the match at half-time and only trailed by a solitary point, 1-07 to 1-06. Sean Moran scored Dunboyne's first goal of the afternoon on the stroke of half time to cancel out 16-year-old Joey Keena's expertly finished shot to the net for Kilmessan. Keena's performances in this year's championship have earned the youngster rave reviews and along with Ritchie Donnelly, Sean Stephens and Stephen Clynch, they will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. Dunboyne's failure to capitalise on the strong breeze for 18 minutes of the second half was to contribute to their downfall as the eventual winners stretched their lead by four points during that period. County star Neville Reilly pointed for the South Meath side from a free but they had to wait a further eleven minutes before registering their first score of the half from play. Moran scored his and Dunboyne's second goal after good work by Reilly and Diarmuid Byrne to really liven the match up with only minutes remaining. It was now the team in the black and yellow jerseys that were on top but their failure to convert a number of chances late on and the subsequent switch of Horan to midfield late on was the main reason Kilmessan hung on. Horan fired over two late points to secure the victory and it was fitting that he was also captain of the victorious side as he collected the Jubilee Cup for 2003. Kilmessan entered the Leinster club championship full of hope that they could at least get over the first round after being drawn with Westmeath neighbours Castlepollard. Once again Horan was the score-in-chief as he fired over 0-11 points, eight of which were from placed balls and despite having wing-back Martin Horan sent-off in the second half, the Meath men held on for a two point win, 0-16 to 1-11. The win over Castlepollard saw Kilmessan set up a meeting with Wexford kingpins Rathnure with Oliver Horan's side receiving home advantage at Pairc Tailteann. Kilmessan got off to the worst possible start when Rathnure goaled in the opening minute and added a point to their tally soon after. The Meath side settled well and Horan fired home a 20 metre free to restore parity among the sides. Two further goals for Rathnure gave them some breathing space and seemed to knock the wind out of Kilmessan's sails with sides going in at half-time on a scoreline of 3-5 to 1-6. The dismissal of Stephen Clynch in the second half did not help Kilmessan's cause but the Meath side battled bravely for the remainder of the match and did the county proud, despite going down by 4-12 to 1-9. There is no doubt that Kilmessan hurling club command a special place in the Meath hurling history books and with the current team being the average of 23; they will be around for some time to come. Tweet

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