NO sooner had Garrycastle ousted Ballyboden St Enda's at Cusack Park yesterday than manager Anthony Cunningham was thinking ahead to the final against either Portlaoise or Clara.

A Westmeath club has never won the Leinster title and Garrycastle are now one game away from making history.

Galwayman Cunningham, who combined taking charge of the Tribesmen's U-21 hurlers with his first year as Garrycastle boss, threw down the gauntlet to his players.

"It's no good winning today if we don't win the final the next day. In past years when Garrycastle won the county championship and played in Leinster maybe they didn't understand the significance of it.

"Now there's a lot of experience in the team. We're in the final, and worthy to be there, but it's there to won," said Cunningham.

In fairness, his men don't need much reminding. Their side is a nice blend of veterans and youthful vigour -- as is evident from the over-30 brigade such as Dessie and Garry Dolan, and 19-year-old Mark McCallon, who scored the decisive second-half goal that turned the game.

wind-lashed

And after this victory over a gallant Ballyboden St Enda's side, in dry but wind-lashed Cusack Park, Garrycastle have taken another big step forward.

A game in which the winners had nine scores over 63 minutes and the losers only six indicates the difficulties posed by the wind and soft surface, but credit is due to the Westmeath board and the groundsmen for presenting an eminently playable pitch.

Unfortunately for Ballyboden, a flu virus kept Dublin star Conal Keaney on the bench. He probably shouldn't have even been there, but came on for the last 10 minutes.

Full-forward Kenny Naughton failed to recover from a shoulder injury incurred against Rathnew in the last round, and the red card awarded to big midfielder Declan O'Mahony in the same game meant he was suspended.

On the plus side, dual player Stephen Hiney was back after a long spell out injured, but as Ballyboden manager Liam O'Dwyer commented: "The biggest disappointment was having to field without those three players. When it comes to these games in the Leinster championship you need your full squad at all times to take on good teams such as Garrycastle.

"At half-time I was pretty happy but I have to hand it to Garrycastle. They really performed to the utmost in the second half," he said.

O'Dwyer was right to feel reasonably pleased at the interval, despite having only 0-2 -- points by Stephen Hiney and Andrew Kerin -- on the board.

The Dubs fought a mainly rearguard action due to the strong wind, but Garrycastle had only five points (Dessie Dolan two, Paul Dillon, Patrick Mulvihill and James Duignan) to show for almost 70pc possession.

They might have had a goal but for saves by Ballyboden 'keeper Daire Walsh and full-back Ian Clarke. Walsh blocked a close-range shot by Mulvihill and then Clarke dived to prevent Mark McCallon scoring from the rebound after 17 minutes.

'Boden's Simon Lambert got the first score of the second half, a point in the 32nd minute, to raise his side's hopes, but they were not to get another point for a further 19 hard-fought minutes.

During that period the game-changing scores were ground out by Garrycastle.

The first one was a Dessie Dolan special after 40 minutes with the scores at 0-5 to 0-3.

Paul Dillon and Mulvihill linked up to give Dolan the ball close to the sideline about 25 metres out at an acute angle.

A 'Boden defender hurled himself into the tackle. Dolan braced himself, took the hit, retained possession and fired the ball over the bar.

That raised the siege on Garrycastle, and it got better for them six minutes later when Mark McCallon finished off a move involving John Gaffey, Dave O'Shaughnessy and Mulvihill to fire the ball low into the net.

At 1-6 to 0-3, and the Garrycastle back line reinforced by forwards back-tracking with an unstinting work ethic, Ballyboden just couldn't make the headway they needed.

Keaney came on in the 50th minute and scored a '45' soon after that to reduce the margin to just five points, but Garrycastle were not to be denied.

They tacked on points by Garry Dolan and O'Shaughnessy while Ballyboden could only manage points from an Andrew Kerin free and Cormac Smyth to sign off an eventful year for the south Dublin club.

Scorers -- Garrycastle: M McCallon 1-0; D Dolan 0-3; PDillon (f); P Mulvihill, J Duignan, G Dolan, D O'Shaughnessy 0-1 each. Ballyboden: A Kerin 0-2 (1f); G Hiney, S Lambert, C Smyth; C Keaney (0-1 '45') 0-1 each.

Garrycastle -- C Mullin; P Rattigan, J Gaffey, E Mulvihill; M McCallon, K Henson, D Harte; S O'Donoghue, D O'Donoghue; J Dolan, D Dolan, P Mulvihill; P Dillon, G Dolan, J Duignan. Subs: T McHugh for P Rattigan (15); A Browne for P Mulvihill (51); S O'Reilly for P Dillon (54); D Hermbusche for J Dolan (61).

Ballyboden -- D Walsh; J O'Hara; I Clarke, M O'Sullivan; D Nelson, D Kiernan, C Dolan; M Macauley, P Galvin; D Davey, S Hiney, C Smyth; S Durkin, S Lambert, A Kerin. Subs: C Hiney for D Davey (48); C Keaney for C Dolan (50).

Ref -- E Kinsella (Laois).

- GAR'CASTLE 1-8 BALLYbODEN 0-6 Liam Kelly aib leinster club sfc SF

Irish Independent