Meath ............ 1-21
Wicklow ........... 1-5

Regan reached double figures (including four frees) while Fagan pitched in with 1-5 from play as Meath bossed matters from the off having played with the wind in the first half.

Dual player Mickey Burke put in a powerful shift at midfield and posted a brace of points for good measure.

Playing with the breeze blowing from the town end, Meath were first to show in damp conditions and might have had more than one goal on the board by half-time.

Burke dictated matters from midfield while Wicklow's cause was undermined by the dismissal of team captain John Henderson to a straight red card nine minutes in.

Wicklow won the toss and opted to play into the elements in the first-half.

Even though Meath passed up a number of goal chances in the opening 35 minutes, numerically deficient Wicklow couldn't keep Meath in check.

Meath had eight points on the board before Andy O'Brien got Wicklow off the mark in the 27th minute from a 65 at the town goal.

O'Brien - who was sent off early on when the side met here in the Kehoe Cup final in February - accounted for all bar one point of Wicklow's tally.  Sub Anto Byrne got their other score, a 70th minute point.

Jack Regan and debutant Jack Fagan dominated the scoring stakes for Martin Ennis' men registering 0-6 and 1-2 respectively in the opening 35 minutes.

Fagan and Willie McGrath could have goaled in the opening quarter. Fagan and Bird had similar chances in the run-in to half-time.

Meath finally netted, in first-half stoppage time when Fagan scored with Toher and Bird playing supporting roles.

The Royals led by 1-12 to 0-2 at the break. Facing the elements they comfortably swatted the Wicklow effort thereafter.

Wicklow corner-back Eugene Dunne picked up his second yellow card, in the 59th minute, to complete a miserable afternoon for the visitors.

While there were many positives in this display, Meath managed 16 wides. Meanwhile, Wicklow will seek to make progress through the losers' section.

Scorers: Meath - Jack Regan 0-10 (4fs); Jack Fagan 1-5; Michael Burke 0-2; Alan Douglas, Stephen Morris, Charlie Bird, Keith Keoghan 0-1 each.
Wicklow - Andy O'Brien 1-4 (3fs,1 65)., Anto Byrne 0-1.

Meath: Shane McGann; Cormac Reilly, Shane Brennan, Shane Whitty; Keith Keoghan, James Toher, Sean Heavey (C); Michael Burke, Padraig Keogh; Alan Douglas, Gary Kelly, Jack Regan; Willie McGrath, Charlie Bird, Jack Fagan. Subs - Damien Healy for Keogh (22), Stephen Morris for McGrath (52), Adam Gannon for Bird (61), Karl Ennis for Douglas (69).

Wicklow: Ted Kennedy; Eugene Dunne, Stephen Kelly, Peter Keane; Billy Cuddihy, John Henderson (C), Liam Kennedy; Eamon Kearns, Tommy Doyle; Christy Moorehouse, Leighton Glynn, Diarmuid Masterson; Johnathan O'Neill, Andy O'Brien, Daniel Staunton. Subs - Mikey Lee for Masterson (35), John Connors for L Kenendy (ht), Anto Byrne for O'Neill (43), Gavin Weir for Staunton (52), Aaron Nugent for Moorehouse (62).

Referee - David Hughes (Carlow).

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