Mixed fortunes for young Royals as storm rages

Victory for u-20s but battling minors blown off course

There were sharply contrasting fortunes for Meath hurling teams at Pairc Tailteann today as they sought to make progress in different fronts.

Sean Corrigan's u-20s put in a typically battling performance to chalk up a 1-16 to 1-10 victory over Derry in sunny but very, very windy conditions.

At time the wind blew with tremendous ferocity as Storm Kathleen passed over - although at least there was no driving rain to make matters even more challenging for the players.

The home scored their only goal of the game on 50 minutes when Tom Shine embarked on a mazy solo run through the heart of the Derry defence before off-loading to Patrick Jordan who finished to the net.

The sides were level 0-6 apiece at the break despite Meath facing into the gale-force wind. Then Corrigan's charges pushed on in the second-half. Not that it was easy. They really had to dig deep but, urged on by the manager on the sideline, they proceeded to produced a typically lively, focused team display.

Mark Leavy topscored for the winners with seven points, six frees.

The news wasn't so good for the Royal County minors who kick-off the afternoon's double header. They were at the wrong end of a right old trouncing dished out by Westmeath.

The visitors won by 3-23 to 0-4 with Dylan Corrigan, Eoin Meehan and Ryan Williams finding the net for the winners. Everyone of the six starting Westmeath forwards got on the scoresheet. Williams and Meehan showed the way with 1-4 apiece.

Luke Ennis and Daniel Doherty scored two points apiece for the home team who battled bravely throughout with James Cully going close to getting a goal for them in the second-half.

Meath gave a very spirited display but they just couldn't reproduce the level of performance they showed against Offaly a few weeks ago.

Still, the players in green and gold gave it everything on Saturday; they just came up against a very polished Westmeath side.

There will be better these for the Meath players.

Defeats like this raise issues as to what needs to be done to improve matters. Are more development officers needed? Do the clubs need to do more in terms of coaching?

SCORERS

U-20s

Meath - Mark Leavy 0-7 six frees; Patrick Jordan 1-1; Daire Shine 0-3 one free; Lorcan Byrne 0-2; Mark Horan 0-1; Darragh Heffernan 0-1; Noah Conroy 0-1.

Derry - 1-7 six frees; Aimon Duffin 0-1; Ben Kealy 0-1; Sullivan Quinn 0-1.

Leinster MHC

Westmeath - Ryan Williams 1-4; Eoin Meehan 1-4; Kian Loughlin 0-6 five frees; Dylan Corrigan 1-1; Cormac McKeogh 0-4; Padraig Casey 0-2; Aaron Flanagan 0-1; Oisin McCauley 0-1.

Meath - Daniel Doherty 0-2; Luke Ennis 0-2.

TEAMS

Meath - Ben Mather; Cian O'Sullivan, Cian Colhoun, Conor Dixon; Paul Hennessy, Daire Shine, Craig Gilsenan; Mark Horan, Tom Shine; Darragh Heffernan, Domhnall Rogers, Lorcan Byrne; Mark Leavy, Paddy Barnwell, Patrick Jordan. Subs - Tiernan Anderson for D Shine 53m, Darren Higgins for Rogers 55m, Noah Conroy for Jordan 58m, Charlie McCormack for Hennessy 60m, Jamie Kavanagh for Barnwell 62m.

Derry - Aodan McCallion; Jamie Lee McGlade, Martin McKenna, Odhran Clenaghan; Andy McBride, James Friel, Ben Kearney; Aimon Duffin, Eunan Boylan; Ruairi O Mianain, Conor Murtagh, Ben Kealey; Odhran McElhinney, Eamon Cassidy, Sullivan Quinn. Subs - Ronan Hickey for Boylan 48m, Darragh Young for McKenna 51m, Conan Bradley for McElhinney 58m.

Referee - Mark Ryan (Dublin).

LEINSTER MHC

Meath - Sean Cregan; Tom Elliott, Sean Ward, James Lonergan; Adam O'Donoghue, David Regan, Daithi Grehan; Lorcan McDermott, JJ McManus; Sean McKeown, Dean Walsh, James Cully; Evan Curley, Luke Ennis, Daniel Doherty. Subs - Michael Carr for O'Donoghue, Edward Dunne for McManus half-time; Daithi Wade for Walsh 44m, Eoghan Monaghan for Doherty 45m, Cormac Swan for Ennis 52m.

Westmeath - Cathal Og Fagan; Dara Mulligan, Mikey Weir, Aaron Flanagan; Ben McNamee, Sean Hayes, Darragh Kenny; Cody Ward, Finn Higgins; Dylan Corrigan, Padraig Casey, Eoin Meehan; Kian Loughlin, Cormac McKeogh, Ryan Williams. Subs - Oisin McCauley for Ward 41m, Dillon Burke for Meehan 46m, Cian Fleming for McNamee, Marc Davis for Corrigan both 50m, Mikey Sinnott for Weir 52m.

Referee - Liam Keenan (Wicklow).

* Full reports from both matches in the next issue of the Meath Chronicle.