Meath set for Christy Ring hurling again next year
Wicklow's 3-17 to 0-16 win over Meath has left the Royal County all but eliminated from a competition where they would have started as the clear favourites. They now need London to draw with Tyrone, Wicklow to beat Derry and for a 36-point swing in scoring difference to occur between them and the Oak Leaf men.
Such was their showing in Aughrim that they'll know that they simply weren't where they needed to be this summer. John Toomey goals at the start and finish of the first half gave Wicklow a four-point interval lead when the breeze had favoured Meath in the opening half and The Garden County duly backed up their strong foundation by dominating the second half, clinching their win through a Pádraig Doyle green flag.
With Tyrone's relegation confirmed following their loss to Derry, Donegal will have nothing to play for next week after they succumbed to a 2-19 to 1-15 loss to London in Letterkenny.
Goals from Jack Morrissey (penalty) and Cathal O'Carroll in the first half set the Exiles on the road to their win and a run of five points in succession midway through the second half briefly stretched the lead out to nine before Danny Cullen found the net for the hosts with three minutes remaining.
In the Nickey Rackard Cup, Mayo are into the final after Shane Boland (0-9), Liam Lavin (0-5) and Ryan Duffy (0-4) filled their boots in a 1-32 to 1-17 win over Sligo, while Roscommon are in the driving seat to join them after they condemned Fermanagh to relegation back to the Lory Meagher with a 4-27 to 0-22 win at Dr. Hyde Park, where Robbie Fallon's two goals and Brendan Mulry's 0-8 from play did the lion's share of the damage.
With Roscommon and Sligo level on points after having already drawn, the Rossies have a ten-point scoring difference advantage going into the last round of games, while they will also travel to Louth who have nothing to play for, while Sligo will host an Armagh side that aren't mathematically out of the running, albeit they will need to win, and for Louth to beat the Rossies.
Four points each from play from Leon Fox and Mark Gahan looked to have put Louth in position to snatch a win as they led by 0-19 to 1-14 going into stoppage time, but a Barry Shortt point and a late goal from Steve Keenan kept the Orchard County's slim chances alive.
There were no surprises in the Lory Meaghar Cup on Saturday as Monaghan beat Lancashire by 4-14 to 2-14 at Abbotstown and Cavan had another big win over the border in Longford, 3-29 to 3-17, with Liam O'Brien scoring 0-13 and Jack McGuinness striking five from play from midfield as the Breffni men are now assured of a final spot.
Monaghan need to win or draw in Inniskeen next Saturday against Longford to take second spot, and with it a semi-final clash with New York.
On Sunday, Leitrim's faint chances in the competition were extinguished in Birmingham, where Jack Grealish and Luke Hands got the first half goals that set Warwickshire on their way to a 2-17 to 0-18 win over the Connacht county.
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