It's often the case that the Under 21 grade is used an apprenticeship for those hoping to make the breakthrough into the senior ranks and Meath's novices did show some promise in the Leinster 'A' HC against Westmeath before being eliminated by Kildare in rather disappointing fashion at Leixlip in early May. Perhaps it was the expectancy that followed on from that impressive defeat of Westmeath en-route to the final that led many to think that Martin Curran's charges could account for Kildare but the way in which the Lilywhites dismantled their Royal counterparts was most disappointing. The win over Westmeath came on the same day that the county minor side also disposed of their neighbours but like the youngsters in green and gold, the Under 21 side also seemed to regress after the victory and never got going at all in the loss to Kildare. Westmeath entered the clash with Curran's men in buoyant mood as a result of their 4-9 to 0-10 demolition of Wicklow in the previous round but Meath were a different proposition to the Garden County and produced an excellent second half display to book their ticket to the decider with a 0-16 to 0-12 victory. Peter Durnin was the main contributor to the success as he donated 0-11 and although all but one of those efforts came from frees, the Kiltale lad's accuracy from placed balls kept Meath in contention during the opening period in which on a couple of occasions, Westmeath threatened to pull away. Although Westmeath did secure a 0-9 to 0-6 interval advantage, Meath would have arguably been the happier of the two sides sipping their refreshments at the break as without firing, they remained in contention. The fact that it was the first occasion that the players were playing together may have been a factor in Meath's poor first half showing but they were a rejuvenated side on the restart and tore apart Westmeath in clinical fashion. Durnin continued to punish Westmeath for fouling within his scoring range and with Joey Keena tormenting the opposition's defence with his pace and guile, Meath managed to sway the tie in their favour. Johnny Meyler was the only other player to get on the scoresheet and the Blackhall Gaels clubman was an imposing presence at the edge of the 'square' throughout while Colm O'Mealòid also impressed in his midfield role. Curran was understandably delighted with the victory and afterwards praised the players for the way in which they dug in and portrayed a trademark Royal never say die attitude. ''We played particularly well in the second half, the players showed great courage and will to win. They showed a willingness to get stuck in when the flow of the game was going against them and that stood to them, '' Curran said. Leixlip was the venue for the decider of the Leinster Under 21 HC 'A' and it was the hosts who deservedly captured the silverware, running out surprisingly comfortable 2-12 to 0-6 winners. It was a very frustrating evening for Curran and his selectors as his charges were a pale shadow of the side that carved out a result against Westmeath and showed no appetite for victory for the vast duration of the hour's play. It was expected that both sides would go at it hammer and tongs from the throw-in but such a script never materialised as Kildare dominated the opening exchanges and a 0-9 to 0-3 interval lead underlined their superiority. Meath did have a gilt-edged opportunity to get back into the tie when they were awarded a 23rd minute penalty but Derek Muldoon passed up on the opportunity and his side's challenge seemed to peter out tamely following the miss. Without the attacking prowess of Durnin who was unavailable for selection, Meath struggled to trouble the umpires as frequently as Kildare who had Paul Fitzgerald in fine form, sending over seven points. Second half points from Meyler and Muldoon took some of the bleak look off the scoreboard but Kildare finished the stronger of the two sides and a brace of late goals copperfastened a twelve-point success for the Lilywhites. The Meath team that were beaten by Kildare in the Under 21 HC 'A' final at Leixlip in May was as follows : C. Curtis; T. Murphy, C. Burke, P. Farrell; P. Keogh, D. Donoghue, E. Broad; C. O'Mealòid, A. Mulvihill; D. Bailey, J. Keena (0-1), K. Fagan (0-1); D. Muldoon (0-2), J. Meyler (0-2), N. Smyth. Subs - N. Reilly for Keogh, C. Keane for Muldoon. Tweet

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