Victory suggests Meath starting to find their form

Anton O'Neill's side get campaign underway on bright note

Meath...3-15

Westmeath...2-8

Athletes taking part in an Olympic marathon like to tap into their best form just when their big event is due to take place. It's the same with footballers, hurlers and camogie players - and indeed all those participating in sport. The time to sparkle is when the stakes are at their highest.

Certainly Meath suggested in this All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship encounter on Saturday that they are tapping into a rich vein of form at just the right time.

Patchy form in their Div 2 league campaign (two victories in five outings) added to a defeat, if a very narrow one, to Kilkenny in Leinster, suggested Meath might struggle to get anything from this game.

After all Westmeath are a Div 1 outfit and on Saturday they had home advantage. However on the pristine surface at Cusack Park it was the visitors who served up the kind of performance that ensured it was they who returned home with a victory, their cause helped greatly by 1-7 from the outstanding Aoife Carey while one of Meath's rising young camogie stars, Isabel O'Connor, hit 2-2.

With four teams in the group (Offaly and Antrim are the other two) Saturday's triumph certainly was a major boost to Meath's ambitions.

Also a boost was the inclusion of Claire Coffey in the Meath team - her return to the fold after a lengthy absence greatly adding to the team's defensive sturdyness.

Apart from a very brief spell at the start Meath led all the way, building on an interval lead (1-6 to 0-6) before pushing on to claim their victory with considerable ease and relative comfort.

Anton O'Neill's side played the more composed, structured camogie, their movement and passing causing the home team frequent and insurmountable problems with that opening-half scoreline all the more impressive as the Girls in Green played against a sturdy breeze.

Their fast-paced yet carefully engineered approach was underlined in the way Meath fashioned their opening goal after 10 minutes. Erin Leddy and Carey, inevitably, were involved in the creation of the score with O'Connor finishing to the net both with conviction and power.

Meath's second goal arrived just three minutes into the second-half. Westmeath needed a bright start but instead the Royals hit the jackpot again.

Carey won the ball about 35 metres out and appeared to trying to land a point. The ball instead drifted over the outstretched stick of Westmeath 'keeper Aoife Corcoran and into the net.

Goal number three - and the match-clincher - arrived on 46 minutes. The ball was played into the Westmeath goalmouth. Corcoran bravely got a touch but only as far as O'Connor who fired first time and low to the net. It was a real goal-poacher's strike. Decisive and devastating.

Meath's sharpness in front of the posts was also demonstrated in the way the starting full-forward line of Emma Regan (two), Erin Leddy, Grace Connolly (two) as well as Katie Connolly also landed sweet scores from play.

Defensively Meath were strong and assured although their carefully constructed battlements were breached twice with Caoimhe McCormack smartly finishing to the net in the 41st minute and Hannah Core adding another soon after. Caoimhe McCrossan also bagged six points and Karen Keegan one.

They weren't enough to knock Meath off course as they deservedly marched to the kind of victory that suggests they are finding their best form at just the right time.

When the sun is shining and championship victories are up for grabs.

Meath - Tara Murphy; Laura O'Neill, Claire Coffey, Sophia Payne; Ciara Foley, Maeve Clince, Leah Devine; Amy Gaffney, Rachel O'Neill; Isabel O'Connor (1-2), Aoife Carey (1-7 three frees, one 45), Aedin Slattery; Emma Regan (0-2), Erin Leddy (0-1), Grace Connolly (0-2). Subs - Brodie Kelly for Laura O'Neill 45m, Emer Fagan for Payne 48m, Katie Connolly (0-1) for O'Connor 54m, Roisin Heaney for Leddy 58m, Grace Coleman for Conolly 61m.

Westmeath - Aoife Corcoran; Katie Coleman, Dearbhail McLoughlin, Katie Whyte; Emily McCabe, Claire Coffey, Laura Doherty; Caoimhe McCrossan (0-6, five frees, one 45), Aoife O'Malley; Caoimhe McCormack (1-0), Julie McLoughlin, Aine Newman; Meadbh McLoughlin, Karen Keegan (0-1), Hannah Core (1-1). Subs - Roisin Scally for Whyte 44m, Ciara Corcoran for Keegan, Reanna Kennedy for J McLoughlin both 54m.

Referee - Max Molloy (Wicklow).