Tame exit for minor hurlers

Meath minor hurlers absorbed a dose of shock therapy at St Loman"s, Mullingar on Saturday as they exited the All-Ireland MHC B race at the penultimate hurdle. Perhaps it was the traumatic journey through the floods on the way to the Westmeath venue that dulled the senses or maybe it was the whirlwind performance of the home side? Either way, Meath can have no complaints about the result as, apart from a brief spell midway through the second-half, they were totally out-played by a team they hammered by 3-11 to 0-7 last April at Pairc Tailteann. That was in the Leinster MHC round robin series from which Meath advanced to the quarter-final proper of the competition where they faltered against Carlow. For Saturday"s game, which was originally scheduled as a double-header at Tullamore with the other semi-final between Roscommon and Kildare, both teams made some changes in both personnel and positions compared to the initial clash. However, Meath retained the same midfield pairing of Ger Murphy and Willie Mahady, at least until half-time. At the stage, with Meath adrift by 0-3 to 0-9, manager Paul Reilly moved Conor O"Shea from centre-back in a direct switch with Mahady. Meath"s fortunes improved briefly, but Westmeath found another gear for the closing stages and were full value for a five-point winning margin. On a day when field games of any sort appeared unlikely, the St Loman"s pitch was in perfect condition. Despite the torrential rain, there was hardly a mark on the pitch at the end of a keenly fought contest during which Meath were second in almost every department. 'We gave away too many frees,' was one area which the manager highlighted as contributing to the downfall of the reigning champions in the immediate aftermath of a disappointing result. The Dunboyne clubman was full of praise for Westmeath and accepted that they deserved to win. Westmeath manager James Heffernan would also be a familiar figure in Meath hurling circles as he plotted Rathmolyon"s path to the SHC Jubilee Cup two years ago and he certainly had his troops well prepared for Saturday"s assignment. There was also a Meath flavour to the Westmeath side with the presence of Lough Lene Gaels player Stephen Bardon at midfield. The teenager lined out for St Oliver"s PP, Oldcastle in the Leinster Vocational Schools" championship and helped Meath to the Leinster inter-county title. Bardon scored a fine point from play, and his midfield compatriot, another Stephen Bardon (Castlepollard), who sent over four points, ruled the roost on Saturday and contributed enormously to Meath"s demise. Another key figure for Westmeath was corner back Derek Healy who certainly looks like a promising prospect. Frequently, he broke up Meath attacks and his clearances helped create opportunities. Westmeath had three points on the board through top scorer Barry O"Meara, Bardon (Lough Lene Gaels) and Darren Kilcoyne before Kiltale"s Padraig Kelly opened Meath"s account from a 65-metre free at the end of the first quarter. Amazingly, that was as close as Meath could get and they really laboured through the remaining 45 minutes. Mark O"Sullivan and Kelly added another point apiece before the break, but by stage Westmeath were almost out of sight. Further points from O"Meara (three), Daniel Riggs, who had an outstanding game, and the other Bardon more of less finished the game as a contest. Meath flattered briefly in the second-half and closed the gap to three points (0-7 to 0-10) by the end of the third-quarter, but they really needed a goal to kick-start a late flourish. The nearest the got to that was when full-back Shane Troy got forward and unleashed a ferocious shot, but Conor Sleator deflected it out for a fruitless '65" with eight minutes remaining. That signalled the end of Meath"s bid for a final ticket and Westmeath finished strongest and can now look forward to the decider with confidence. SCORERS Westmeath - B O"Meara 0-5, four frees; S Bardon (Castlepollard) 0-4, two '65s"; D Riggs 0-2; S Bardon (Lough Lene Gaels) 0-1; D Kilcoyne 0-1. Meath - P Kelly 0-2, frees;R Massey 0-2 frees; M O"Sulliavn 0-1; K Keoghan 0-1; G Murphy 0-1; M Doyle 0-1. THE TEAMS Westmeath - M Boyle; M Conroy, C Sleator, D Healy; C Boyle, A McGrath, S Savage; S Bardon (Castlepollard), S Bardon (Lough Lene Gaels); D Riggs, D Kilcoyne, K Murphy; M Heffernan, P Burke, B O"Meara. Sub - G McGovern for Burke 35 mins. Meath - S McCann; S Moran, S Troy, R Hatton; D Tormey, C O"Shea, P Kelly; G Murphy, W Mahady; K Keoghan, R Massey, M O"Sullivan; D Carty, G McGovern, M Doyle. Subs - C Flaherty for Carty, T Meyler for McGovern (both half-time), A Healy for Keoghan 53 mins. REFEREE Declan O"Driscoll (Limerick).