Heart stopping stuff as Royals return is complete

If it was said once it was said 10 times this year, Meath hurling is not good for the heart.

However it is great for the spirits and that indomitable quality was very much to the fore as the Royals withstood a rousing Derry recovery to claim the Christy Ring Cup with a nerve-jangling 1-23 to 1-21 victory at Croke Park this evening.

Throughout this now double-winning season Meath have made it harder than it needed to be at times, but they have never been found wanting when it came to getting the job done.

There were times in the latter stages of this Ring Cup final when it looked as if Meath's spirit had worn itself out.

Where do we start?

At half-time this final looked done and dusted, as lop-sided as a thoroughbred colt in a donkey derby and when Nicky Potterton blasted a brilliant goal just over two minutes after the restart to stretch Meath's lead to 12 points it was all over bar the shouting, surely.

Even after 45 minutes Meath were still in cruise control with a 1-20 to 0-10 lead - there was no way back for Derry, or was there?

How wrong that proved to be.

The near-flawless O'Doherty never lost focus. When Derry were awarded frees he slotted them over. He set about whittling the deficit down, one score at a time.

With 52 minutes on the clock the gap was closed to 11 points, Meath were still in the box seat.

Maybe that led to a lapse in concentration when Derry were awarded a free 23-metres out in the 52nd minute. Meath put four men on the line just in case O'Doherty went for goal - they should have put 10 men there because O'Doherty spotted a huge gap and fired to the net.

The goal gave Derry new life and they grasped the chance with both hands. They hit five of the next six points to close the gap to 1-17 to 1-21 with 10 minutes remaining - it was game on.

Derry lost Sean Cassidy to a second yellow card and when Regan put five between the teams again with his 13th point it seemed to swing back in Meath's favour again.

However, Derry refused to lie down. Points from John Mullan, Corey O'Reilly, Segdae Melaugh and O'Doherty left one between the teams with two minutes remaining of the four announced for injury-time.

Under pressure, Meath won a free when Regan was fouled and he celebrated as he lofted over the black spot.

When O'Doherty's late attempt to drop the ball into the square for a winning goal was cleared it signalled the end of a pulsating contest that saw Meath claim the cup for the third time.

The entirity of the second-half was in total contrating to the opening period.

When the board went up to indicate one minute of additional time at the end of the opening half the Meath supporters let out a little groan - they wanted the opening period to go on forever because their team was in total control.

Derry managed just one point from play in the opening half with O'Doherty's accuracy from placed balls keeping the Ulster men in contention - just.

Meath, aided by a stiff breeze into the Canal End, got a shot away inside 30 seconds, with Eamon O Donnchadha landing a superb score.

Derry weren't as fluid or as accurate and hit a couple of early wides as Meath doubled their lead when a brilliant touch by James Kelly set up Jack Regan for a class point.

Derry did get through the Meath rearguard as Corey O'Reilly forced Charlie Ennis into an excellent save, but that was only a brief scare for the Royals as they resumed control.

A James Toher free from his own 45-metre line was batted down to O Donnchadha who doubled his return and a minute later he had his third of the evening with a magnificent score from the left to make it 0-4 to 0-0.

Before the ninth minute was out Regan converted his first free and a minute later he added his second before Nicky Potterton also got in on the scoring act with point to make it 0-7 t0 0-0 after 11 minutes.

Sean Kelly opened Derry's account with their only first-half score from play before he instantly limped out of the action.

Regan responded with a free before O'Doherty found his range with two frees from huge distances and one from a little closer to narrow the deficit to 0-4 to 0-8.

Martin Healy stopped the Derry momentum from building with a point and after O'Doherty added another for the Ulster men Meath took over again hitting five in a row.

Regan from just outside his own 45 from play got the ball rolling again for Meath. Kelly had a goal chance comfortably saved by the Derry 'keeper before Regan landed another free from his own 65-metre line to make it 0-11 to 0-5.

Pa Ryan, Shane Brennan and Regan with another monster point from inside his own 65 stretched that advantage to nine points 10 minutes before the break.

O'Doherty landed two frees either side of another free from Regan to close the gap to 0-7 to 0-15, but Meath finished the half how they started it with a couple of scores from Simon Ennis and James Kelly to establish a 0-17 to 0-7 interval lead.

O'Doherty opened the scoring after the break, but Potterton's goal and Regan's free put Meath 13 points clear and in a seemingly unassailable position.

Even as Regan (two frees) responded to scores from John Mullan and O'Doherty (three) Meath still led by 1-20 to 0-12 and looked comfortable, but then O'Doherty struck for that goal from the free and it gave Derry oxygen.

Padhraig Nelis, O'Reilly and three more frees from O'Doherty closed the gap to 1-17 to 1-21 with Regan firing Meath's reply.

Cassidy's sending off spurred on Derry and in a frantic finish they did get to within one point, but Meath's indomitable spirit saw them through and secured their place back in the Joe McDonagh Cup after another absolute classic.

SCORERS

Meath - Jack Regan 0-14 11 frees; Nicky Potterton 1-1; Eamonn O Donnchadha 0-3; Martin Healy 0-1; Pa Ryan 0-1; Sean Geraghty 0-1; Simon Ennis 0-1; James Kelly 0-1.

Derry - Cormac O'Doherty 1-14 frees; John Mullan 0-2; Corey O'Reilly 0-2;Sean Kelly 0-1; Padhraig Nelis 0-1; Segdae Melaugh 0-1;

TEAMS

Meath - Charlie Ennis; Mickey Burke, Shane Brennan, Brendan McKeon; Niall McLarnon, Sean Geraghty, Simon Ennis; Pa Ryan, Martin Healy; James Toher, Jack Regan, James Kelly; Stephen Morris, Eamon Og O Donnchadha, Nicky Potterton. Subs - Adam Gannon for Morris half-time, Padraig O Hanrahan for Ryan, Ger Dwane for Brennan both 51 mins, Mark O'Sullivan for Kelly 63m, James Murray for O Donnchadha 66m.,

Derry - Oisin O'Doherty; Sean Francis Quinn, Mark Craig, Paddy Kelly; Sean Cassidy, Richie Mullan, James Friel; Cormac O'Doherty, Meehaul McGrath; Eamon Conway, Corey O'Reilly, Darragh McGilligan; Sean Kelly, John Mullan, Paul Cleary. Subs - for Kelly 12 mins, Eoghan Cassidy for Conway 31m, Padhraig Nelis for Cleary 48m, Callum O'Kane for McGilligan 60m.

Referee - Kevin Jordan (Tipperary).