Leinster title for Meath

Seldom can a provincial title have been won, in any sport, at any level, by such a huge margin as Meath's achievement in clinching the Leinter Junior Camogie title at Ashbourne on Sunday. One of the most remarkable features of the game was that Wicklow actually led this encounter briefly in the opening five minutes. After that it was so one-sided that the Wicklow management must have wished that there was a clause in the GAA rulebook allowing for the towel to be thrown in and the contest ended. All the signs were there that this would be as lop-sided as a shipwreck by half-time when Meath led 3-9 to 0-3 despite playing against the stiff breeze. Once they got going Meath finished off their opponents with a ruthless efficiency that was a testament to their fitness, contained aggression and determination. Leading the scoring charge was Kristina Troy who fired home four goals, two in each half, as she inflicted unremitting pain on the over-worked and under-prepared Wicklow defence. The home side scored their first goal after 19 minutes when a move which involved the pacy Sinead Hackett, Jane Dolan and Jenny Rispin ended with Troy shooting home with conviction. Further goals from Troy and Elizabeth Lynch followed in quick succession and suddenly the game was already slipping beyond the reach of a limited Wicklow outfit. Troy's fourth goal arrived late in the game and was unusual in that she appeared to be falling when she hit the sliotar, but it still rolled into the net off the post. Dolan certainly did her bit when it came to contributing to the avalanche of scores, as she registered 1-9, six from frees and one '45' in a textbook exhibition in how to score from placed balls. Dolan's goal arrived right at the end of the game when just about everybody involved was willing Dublin referee Damien Noble to blow it up and bring Wicklow's pain to an end. Another big contributor was Elizabeth Lynch who cut swathes through the Wicklow backline. She side-stepped her way through to find the net twice in the opening half and tagged on a third with a neat finish soon after the break when she latched onto a long ball from Louise Donoghue. Stephanie Horan was another who found the net for the winners when her long punt from near midfield somehow deceived the Wicklow backs and the sliotar ended up in the net. Some measure of just how dominant Meath were can be seen in the stark statistic that all the Wicklow scores came from frees and all were scored by their midfielder Ann Marie Doran who looked the only player among the visiting contingent with the ability to trouble Meath. The Meath management made a raft of substitutions near the end. By then Meath were putting the finishing touches to one of the biggest wins in the history of camogie in the Royal County. Meath - E Mangan; H Geraghty, A Thompson, E Guy; S Horan (1-0), A Donnelly (0-1), L Donoghue; F Lynch (0-1), A Keogh; A M Fagan, J Dolan (1-9), S Hackett (0-2); E Lynch (3-3), K Troy (4-0), J Rispin (0-1). Subs - E McNally for Fagan, L Donegan for Guy, L Flynn for F Lynch, F Madden for Keogh, D O'Carroll for E Lynch. Wicklow - L Walsh; K Byrne, M O'Neill, D Whyte; L Hogan, L Lifely, L Quinlan; C Whelan, A M Doran (0-4); C Byrne, S Byrne, K Walsh; P Maher, G Norton, M Whelan. Subs - R Keogh for Whyte, S Fisher for Byrne, N O'Neill for Lifely, N Keddy for Norton, F Kearns for K Byrne. Referee - Damien Noble (Dublin).