Meath 0-17
Wicklow 0-10

After appearing to be in trouble early in the second half, Meath regained their momentum to dominate the last quarter and push on for an emphatic Kehoe Cup hurling semi-final win over Wicklow at Trim.

It looked good for the visitors when they had reduced a 0-4 to 0-9 interval deficit with three points in the opening four minutes after the restart. Meath had been the better side when assisted by the breeze in the first half but it was felt that they might not have built a sufficient lead.

Stephen Clynch played a dual role for Meath, firing over five points, three frees, while it centre-forward in the first period and then making a number of vital clearances when at centre-back after the switching of ends.

After Wicklow's main marksman, Andy O'Brien, had replied to Mark O'Sullivan's opening score, Meath pushed on to lead by 0-6 to 0-1 after 13 minutes.

Soon after his first score, O'Sullivan had a goal attempt well kept out by visitors' netminder and captain Jonathan O'Neill. As well as shooting five points, Clynch had a few shots off target.

However, the Kilmessan star put over two fine efforts from play and midfielders Stephen Donoghue and Jonathan Meyler and Adam Gannon also got on target for the Royals in the first half.

When O'Brien fired over three frees, the first two from inside his own half, within four minutes of the restart, the odds were heavily tilted in favour of Wicklow.

But then remarkably they only managed to add three points as Meath regained their momentum with the switching of O'Sullivan critical in enabling them to dominate the final quarter.

Barry Slevin was Meath's only scorer in the third quarter at the end of which they held a slender 0-10 to 0-9 lead. But after O'Sullivan pointed on 54 minutes it was mainly one-way traffic.

Meath got on top all over the pitch and points from substitute Peter Durnin and James Toher (the first of three converted frees after moving to attack) left the board reading 0-13 to 0-9.

Christy Moorehouse completed the Wicklow total with his second score with seven minutes left before the home side tagged on four points without reply, Slevin and Eoin Marsh also getting on target.

Wicklow finished the game with 14 men, defender Eugene Dunne being shown a straight red card following a heavy challenge on Gannon which forced him to retire.

Meath: S McGann; C Reilly, D Healy, W Mahady; S Brennan, J Toher (0-3, 3fs), A Watters; S Donoghue (0-1), J Meyler (0-1); E Marsh (0-1), S Clynch (0-5, 3fs), P Conneely; A Gannon (0-1), M O'Sullivan (0-2), B Slevin (0-2). Subs: P Durnin (0-1) for Meyler (49), B Hanley for Brennan (54), G Kelly for Gannon (70).

Wicklow: J O'Neill; E Dunne, B Cuddihy, P Keane; G Byrne, J Henderson, G Bermingham; R Keddy, S Byrne; S Kinsella, J Connors (0-1), E Mason; C Moorehouse (0-2), M Lee, A O'Brien (0-6, 4fs). Subs: G Byrne (0-1) for S Byrne (44), G Weir for Connors ((60).

Referee: D Harrington (Dublin). Tweet

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