North Meath on the double with Towns Cup win

It all started with three men sitting at a bar a few years ago and the talk came around to rugby. Somebody suggested that a club should be set up in the north Meath area. Unlike many ideas that are put forward in a bar it took hold and developed. Three-and-a-half years ago North Meath RFC came into existence and they fielded a team with players cobbled together from Navan, Kells and other places. Now, some distance down the road the club has not only become well established on the local rugby landscape it has scooped up a significant number of trophies. And on Sunday at Ashbourne they reached a new plateau claiming the Provincial Towns' Seconds Cup to add to the Thirds title they bagged last year. Three years, at least two provincial trophies, it has been something of a fairytale story so far for one of Meath's newest rugby clubs. Ashboure RFC was in fine condition for Sunday's final with a sizeable crowd populating the two stands. The pitch looked in good condition and the day was sunny and dry. The only problem for the players was the swirling wind which effectively ruined the game as a spectacle. The conditions ensured that Tullamore would dominate the opening half and North Meath the second. This turned out to be a real stop, start affair with neither side able to produce sustained spells of fast-flowing rugby although there were several occasions when the teams hit the right notes. One of those occasions for North Meath arrived on 75 minutes. Tullamore led 7-5 and looked like they might hold out for victory. Then the game changed dramatically. North Meath's Richie Gorman won possession on the Tullamore 10-metre line. He passed to Simon Deevy who delivered a little grubber kick and all Tullamore could do was knock the ball into touch on their own '22'. While the Tullamore players turned their backs to prepare for the throw-in, North Meath's sharp-thinking scrum-half Conor Grey took a quick throw-in. The ball was moved out wide to Richie Mulvey in midfield, he skipped past a few tackles, off-loaded to Conal Finn and he ran in for the match winning touchdown. Gorman's conversion attempt didn't reach the target, but that was to prove irrelevant as North Meath held on comfortably enough for the remaining five minutes. Shortly before the match-winning try, Finn had attempted a drop-goal that sailed just right of the posts - and it looked as if that miss would prove costly. Every team needs a slice of fortune to win a trophy and North Meath got theirs in the opening half as the reigning champions Tullamore failed to translate their wind-assisted territorial dominance into scores. They did, not unexpectedly, take the lead after 19 minutes when following an incisive back-line movement Aidan Ryan powered over almost under the posts. Their out-half Eric Conway had no difficulty converting. They looked good at that stage, but North Meath displayed considerable spirit and fight by competing well in the scrums and especially at the breakdown. They also put in the big hits and contained some power-packed Tullamore attacks in this way. And against the run of play North Meath got some reward for their efforts after 29 minutes. They worked the ball through a number of phases - then they struck. Conor Grey, Wesley Monaghan and Finn were involved in getting the ball out to Mulvey who had a lot of work to do when he took possession on the left wing about 25 metres out. He switched on the after-burners, side-stepped a few tackles before powering over in the corner. It was a real life-line at a time when North Meath were having to absorb waves of pressure. Gorman had no chance with the conversion against the wind. North Meath may also reflect on the closing stages of that opening half when Tullamore had two penalties awarded to them in very kickable positions. They were both missed by Conway. They were to prove big let offs for the Meath side. Allied to whatever luck came their way North Meath produced some excellent, controlled play in the tight and loose. They executed a series of textbook turnovers, moved the ball through the phases with Iain Doogan, Aidan McEntee, Carlos Buckley and Barry Rennicks among those to put in big hits. North Meath also had to do without prop Barry Smith for a time as he received a yellow card just before the interval for a handling offence. The determination among the 14 players left on the pitch was to prove a big factor in holding Tullamore while a man down. Despite all the pressure they had to absorb, Tullamore were still ahead going into the closing stages. Then Finn got his match-winning try and North Meath were left to celebrate yet another win in their short history. North Meath - A J Gilsenan, Richie Mulvey, Simon Deevy, Eamonn Finn, Richie Gorman, Conal Finn, Conor Grey; James Esmond, Barry Mooney, Barry Smith, Iain Doogan, Barry Rennicks, Wesley Monaghan, Carlos Buckley, Aiden McEntee. Subs - Darragh O'Halloran for Gorman, Keith Rennicks for Buckley, Paul Butler for Grey, Cormac Galligan for Esmonde. David Callaghan for B Rennicks. Tullamore - D Deering, A Ryan, R Devereel, J Moloney, E Fox, E Conway, M Fox; D Lowry, K Browne, E Connor, J Connolly, C McNeill, P McNiff, C Gettings, D Milne. Referee - Clive Wardrop (Leinster Branch).