Navan lose out in the decider

The biting cold wind didn"t prevent either side from serving up an entertaining encounter in this McGowan Cup final at Ashbourne on Saturday. It was all action from the start and conditions suited the style of both these teams with a good underfoot surface and a crisp dry evening. It was also a opportunity for Navan"s Brad Harris and Boyne"s Craig McGrath to give their squad players a run out. Boyne opened very smartly and it was obvious that they wanted to play the game at a fast pace. The Balreask Old side repelled the threat to their line and Boyne had to rely on the boot of full-back Niall Kerby to put their first points on the board after 11 minutes. Driven on by their inspirational number eight, Eoin Collins, Boyne relentlessly applied the pressure. Boyne"s front row trio of Bevin Duffy, Brendan Muldowney and James McKevitt were also prominent in the loose as well as forming a solid platform for the scrum. Navan also had an experimental look about them as they introduced several newcomers, with the experienced Simon Donnelly filling the pivotal out-half position. Mark Harrington and Ciaran Joyce formed the centre pairing for Navan and endured a torrid opening 20 minutes as they settled into their positions. Donnelly did manage to put his team on the scoreboard when, following a rare incursion into the Boyne half, the Drogheda side conceded a penalty. Donnelly made not mistake. Boyne"s new back combination seemed to have the desired effect with Adam Sherrard creating havoc out on the wing. He was making serious ground each time he received the ball and he crossed for an inevitable try. Kerby landed a superb conversion. Boyne added a further try when Sherrard got his second touchdown which Kerby converted for a 17-3 interval lead. Navan made an huge effort to get back on terms and a magnificent try from Maurice McAuley put them back in the frame. McAuley sprinted from the half-way line to cross under the posts, leaving several tacklers in his wake to bring his team back into the match. Donnelly converted. Navan managed to put some shape on their game by this stage and they looked like they might stage a revival. It was Kerby again who gave his side breathing space with only eight minutes to go from another penalty goal awarded against a Navan player for going into a maul from the side. Sherrard, who had a superb game for Boyne, scored another try to complete his hat-trick and virtually finish the tie off as a contest. Kerby once again slotted the conversion. Navan, to their credit, had the last say in the scoring stakes when their impressive and tenacious scrum half, Kieran Mattson, crossed for the final try. Donnelly converted. Boyne - N Kerby, A Sherrard, B Duffy, R Downey, P Rice, A McEnaney, C McGrath; C Duffy, B Muldowney, J McKevitt, J O"Callaghan, P Muldowney, H Dryden, N Vorster, E Collins. Navan - M McAuley, A O"Keeffe, C Joyce, M Harrington, T Geraghty, S Donnelly, K Mattson, S Dawson; E Dunne, J Baker, J King, B Harris, J Duffy, S Byrne, N Finlay. North Meath 25 Ardee 7 North Meath provided themselves with some seasonal cheer when they comfortably defeated hosts Ardee in this McGee Cup encounter. The visitors powered to victory with the help of two tries from Simon Deevey and one each from Rob Newman and Iain Doogan. Conal Finn also tagged on a penalty and a conversion. The victory leaves North Meath with pole position in the league. North Meath - G Hickey, C Galligan, W Monaghan, I Doogan, P Beggan, B Smith, A McEntee; C O"Brien, C Grey, C Finn, S Deevy, D O"Neill, S Flood, P Carpenter, R Newman.