All-Ireland MHC B semi-final: Royals rout Wicklow
August 13, 2016
Wicklow keeper Cian Staunton with darragh Gilmartin Meath during the All Ireland Minor B HC semi final in Lomans Park Trim. TO VIEW A SELECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THIS GAME CLICK HERE
Meath overwhelmed Wicklow in this Electric Ireland All-Ireland MHC B semi-final at Trim on Saturday afternoon.
Meath ....... 8-25
Wicklow ..... 0-11
The outcome was effectively decided in the opening quarter as Meath took advantage of the elements to post 2-7 without reply.
A final date with Kerry awaits Meath. The Kingdom overcame Down in the other semi-final by 2-19 to 1-15.
All Meath scorers in the early stages came from the home club. Points from Robert Browne and top scorer Padraig O'Toole offered brief respite to Wicklow.
By half-time Mikey Cullen had 3-5 to his credt from play. Trm club mate Peter Farrell posted 2-3 that including a pointed free from out on the right close to the middle of the field.
Dunboyne's Daragh Gilmartin weighed in with 2-1 in the first-half, his goals coming in quick succession around the 25th minute.
Farrell posted Meath's seventh goal just before the break at which point the scoreline was 7-12 to 0-4.
Meath made a number of personnel changes for the second-half. One of them Mikey Mullen scored 1-2, that included Meath's sole second-half goal. Jack Cummins capped a fine cameo with three points. Another replacement Conor O'Farrell also got on the scoresheet.
By the end Meath had 11 different scorers, but a sterner test would have been welcome. Despite playing against the strong wind Meath outscored Wicklow by 1-13 to 0-7 after the break.
Having received a walkover from Armagh in the previous round, Wicklow came cold into this fixture.
Midfielder Ian Clancy emerged as Wicklow's top scorer with six points from placed balls. Wing-back Padraig O'Toole was their only other player to score more than once.
All bar two points of Meath's tally came from play in a 38-point winning margin.
Meath - Charlie Ennis; Brian Kelly, Conor McNally, Brian O'Reilly (Killyon); Jake O'Brien, Ben McGowan (0-1), James McNally; Sean Coffey, Adam Murphy (0-2); Will Flynn (0-1), Jamie Leavy (0-3), David Murtagh (0-1); Mikey Cullen (3-5), Peter Farrell (2-3, 0-2fs), Daragh Gilmartin (2-3). Subs - Brian O'Reilly (Kiltale) for O'Reilly ht, Evan Buckley for Kelly (ht), Mickey Mullen (1-2) for Murtagh (ht), Conor O'Farrell (0-1) for Farrell (ht), Jack Cummins (0-3) for Cullen (ht).
Wicklow - Cian Staunton; Cillian Hannon, Brian Carney, George O'Brien; MJ Moran, Owen Potts, Padraig O'Toole (0-2, 1f); Ian Clancy (0-6 fs), Robert Browne (0-1); Stephen Coogan (0-1), Gary Hughes (0-1), Adam Byrne; Eamon Owens, Cal Connolly, Jonathan O'Neill. Subs - Luke Evan for Moran (13), Kevin O'Hanlon for O'Brien (26), O'Brien for Coogan (39) Brendan Scully for Owens (45), Conor O'Toole for Carney (45).
Referee - Kevin McGeeney (Roscommon).
