Ratoath reach the Promised Land again

For the third time in four attempts Ratoath were crowned Meath SFC champions as they edged out Summerhill by 0-12 to 0-11 in a cagey, tense affair that exploded into chaos in the closing stages at Pairc Tailteann this afternoon.

Leading by two points and desperately trying to fend off wave after wave of Summerhill attacks Ratoath were penalised for a high tackle by Eamon Wallace on Ronan Ryan. That incident sparked a confrontation between the rival managers that left David Brady sprawled on the ground clutching his face.

When the dust finally settled both Brady and Summerhill boss Conor Gillespie were red carded and while Summerhill did manage to close the deficit to the minimum with an Eamonn McDonnell point they ran out of minutes and for the second time they lost out to Ratoath in a county final.

Ratoath were deserving winners and apart from a 70 second spell early in the game they never trailed and showed they could dig out the victory on points on a day when goals deserted them.

After scoring 16 goals in their five games leading up the the final Ratoath struggled to find a way through the brilliantly organised and tenacious Summerhill rearguard, but in this final they were patient and persistent and picked up some superb points to claim the Keegan Cup.

Eamon Wallace was outstanding for the winners and top scored from play with three points despite lining out as a wing-back. However, it was a collective display from Ratoath that got them over the line as Daithi McGowan, Conor McGill, Jack Flynn and Bryan McMahon all impressed in a composed display that didn't shoot the lights out, but that got the job done.

It was obvious from early on that this would be a cagey affair and it was Summerhill who found a way through first, but it took them until the eighth minute to open the scoring as Eoghan Frayne got them off the mark.

Just over a minute later Ratoath were level when Daithi McGowan found himself in a rare yard of space and pointed. Four minutes later he edged his side ahead for the first time from a free and by the end of the opening quarter McMahon and Cian Rogers extended that advantage to 0-4 to 0-1.

Summerhill never panicked in that spell and their patience was rewarded when Conor Frayne reacted quickest to Diarmuid McCabe's point attempted that dropped short. The ball was worked to Kevin Ryan, but his goal chance was snuffed out by Ciaran O Fearraigh. However Cormac Reilly spotted a foul and Conor Lyons pointed the resultant free.

A brilliant turnover forced by the Ryan twins Ross and Ronan led to a point from Conor Frayne in the 20th minute and when Lyons converted another free to restore parity Summerhill were back in the game.

However, with the breeze at their backs Ratoath hit a purple patch that yielded points from Eamon Wallace (two), Daithi McGowan (free) and Bobby O'Brien from a mark to move four clear, but McCabe landed a massive free into the breeze from 44 metres to close the gap to 0-5 to 0-8 at the interval.

Barry Dardis was introduced at half-time for Summerhill, but he was injured within minutes and after Eoghan Frayne converted a 34th minute free Dardis had to leave the field, much to his and Summerhill's disappointment.

McMahon restored Ratoath's three-point cushion from a free, but Summerhill were on top and points from David Larkin, Eoghan Frayne and Padhraig Geraghty had them level, 0-9 each, before the end of the third quarter.

Daithi McGowan restored Ratoath's lead in the 50th minute from a free after Ben McGowan was fouled before two points in 30 seconds from Jack Flynn and Eamon Wallace stretched that advantage to 0-12 to 0-9.

Summerhill had claims for penalty waved away after McCabe hit the ground as he bore down on goals and from the follow up Eamonn McDonnell's shot was smothered and cleared.

A brilliant turn over by McDonnell led to a point for Eoghan Frayne in the third minute of injury-time and after the spot of bother on the sideline involving Gillespie and Brady McDonnell set up a tense finale with a point to make it 0-11 to 0-12.

However, that was how it stayed as Cormac Reilly's final whistle sparked huge celebrations for Ratoath.

SCORERS

Ratoath - Daithi McGowan 0-4 three frees; Eamon Wallace 0-3; Bryan McMahon 0-2 one free; Cian Rogers 0-1; Bobby O'Brien 0-1 mark; Jack Flynn 0-1.

Summerhill - Eoghan Frayne 0-4 two free; Conor Lyons 0-2 frees; Conor Frayne 0-1; Diarmuid McCabe 0-1 free; David Larkin 0-1; Padhraig Geraghty 0-1; Eamonn McDonnell 0-1.

TEAMS

Ratoath - Dara McPartlin; Ciaran O Fearraigh, Conor McGill, Ben Wyer; Brian Daly, Eamon Wallace, Gavin McGowan; Daithi McGowan, Ben McGowan; Cian Rogers, Jack Flynn, Keith McCabe; Conor Rooney, Bryan McMahon, Bobby O'Brien. Subs - Joey Wallace for B O'Brien 41 mins, Cian O'Brien for Rooney 44m, Padraig Byrne for J Wallace 57m, Andrew Gerrard for G McGowan 60m.

Summerhill - Tony McDonnell; Padraig Jennings, Ronan Ryan, John Lavelle; Padhraig Geraghty, Ross Ryan, Adam McDonnell; Micheal Byrne, Adam Flanagan; David Larkin, Diarmuid McCabe, Kevin Ryan; Conor Frayne, Conor Lyons, Eoghan Frayne. Subs - Barry Dardis for Lyons half-time, Eamonn McDonnell for Dardis 34 mins, Liam Shaw for K Ryan 38m, Iarla Hughes for Jennings 51m, Willie Ryan for A McDonnell 54m.

Referee - Cormac Reilly (St Mary's).