Kildare crush Meath in Leinster MHC

Kildare recorded a facile 7-23 to 1-7 Leinster MHC victory against Meath at Newbridge this evening and will now play Offaly in the quarter-final.

Meath will go into the All-Ireland B competition.

Kildare were simply too strong and too good for a determined Meath team and established a 4-13 to 0-4 interval advantage.

Kildare were 2-4 to 0-1 to the good after only seven minutes and even at that stage it was looking ominous for the Royal County boys who managed four pointed Conor McGovern frees in those 30 first-half minutes.

Meath hardly created any other chances although they tallied four wides.

Darragh Melville fired the first two Kildare goals as his pace and precision cut through the Meath rearguard with David Qualter and Rossa Stapleton adding the other goals.

Meath had no answer to Kildare's fluent and fast-paced hurling and the pattern was similar after the resumption with Qualter adding an early fifth goal for the hosts.

Meath goalkeeper Tom Roddy made a couple of spectacular saves, but was beaten again when Melville added a late brace of goals to make it seven for the hour for the dominant Lilywhites.

In that second-half James Murray scored Meath's goal with points for McGovern (two, one free) and Jack Lanigan.

SCORERS

Meath – Conor McGovern 0-5 four frees; James Murray 1-0; Jack Lanigan 0-1.

Kildare – Darragh Melville 4-4; Cathal McCabe 0-3 one free; David Qualter 2-6 three frees; Rossa Stapleton 1-0; Ferran O'Sullivan 0-4; Conan Boran 0-1; Paul Dolan 0-1; Colman O'Donovan 0-1. Peter O'Donoghue 0-1, Darragh McMahon 0-1; Eoin McConnon 0-1.

TEAMS

Kildare – A Hackett; P O'Donoghue, M Eustace, S Conway; P Dolan, C Shanahan, A Mooney; F O'Sullivan, C Boran; C O'Donovan, R Stapleton, J Higgins; D Melville, C McCabe, D Qualter. Subs – D McMahon for O'Donovan and E Kelliher for Mooney both half-time, E McConnon for Stapleton 37m, J Owens for Boran 45m, A O'Brien for McCabe 50m,

Meath – Tom Roddy (Ratoath); Robert Ennis (Rathmolyon), Gary Fleming (Trim), Gavin McVann (Kiltale); Cathal Smith (Kilmessan), Aaron Traynor Kildalkey), Adam Boyle (Trim); Justin Coyne (Killyon), Luke Horan (Kilmessan); Lee Coldrick (Kildalkey), Jack Lanigan (Ratoath), Martin Keogh (Clann nan Gael), Cathal McKeown (Killyon), Conor McGovern (Clann na nGael), James Murray (Trim). Subs – Niall O Laoire (Dunderry) for Smith 17 mins, Sean Murphy (Ratoath) for Coldrick 42m, Alex O'Kane (Ratoath) for Horan 50m.

Referee – Joe Deehan (Offaly)