Meredith hat-trick sinks Carlow

Laois regained the Leinster MFC at Carlow’s expense thanks to a stunning hat-trick of Croke Park goals from Conor Meredith.

Match-winner Meredith netted three times in the opening half and finished the 2007 Leinster minor football championship decider with 3-1 to his name, propelling the O’Moore County to a narrow 3-8 to 1-12 victory over their gritty neighbours.

The Scallion Eaters were appearing in their first-ever provincial decider thanks to superb victories over Wexford, Meath, Westmeath and Louth. And they would have been celebrating a historic breakthrough but for Meredith’s uncanny finishing.

The first two points of the match were shared before O’Dempsey’s clubman Meredith eluded two defenders to slide a low shot past advancing Carlow ’keeper Pat Hughes. He then turned provider, placing Brian Smyth for the winners’ third point.

Denis Murphy’s eleventh-minute point for the Tricolours was cancelled out by a Zach Tuohy effort at the end of a lung-bursting solo run from left half back. Meredith calmly slotted home a 20th-minute penalty and he struck again two minutes from the break to give Laois a nine-point interval cushion.

Cormac Mullins drove a Carlow penalty over the bar ten minutes after the resumption but the underdogs continued to battle and gradually ate into the deficit. Jordan Lowry got their goal following a ricochet off the crossbar and the Carlow pressure was intense in the closing stages.

But Laois had done enough in the first half and just about held on for a great win.