Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Championship quarter-final

Down 2-13 Meath 0-10

SARA Louise Graffin rolled back the years to steer Down into the All-Ireland intermediate semi-finals on Saturday.

The Clonduff veteran, and mother of two, hit four first-half points and was involved in both goals in the second half as the Mourne county progressed to a place in the Newbridge double-header next Saturday.

There they will face Kerry, exactly four weeks after the Kingdom beat them in Liatroim Fontenoys by 0-13 to 0-11, the winning points coming in added time.

Her leadership was vital as Meath put it up to Down during periods of a match that Down led from pillar to post.

Another star was Graffin’s Clonduff club-mate Cassie Fitzpatrick, who brought off two good stops in each half and also stopped a penalty in the 13th minute after Down had taken a 0-5 to 0-1 lead.

At the other end of the pitch, Dearbhla Magee hit three first-half scores and one in the second, while also getting back around midfield and beyond to forage for possession and set up attacks.

Down started the game nervously and totted up four wides over the first 10 minutes, one of them a Niamh McGrath goal chance in the sixth minute. Saoirse Sands hit the opening point, the only score up until eight minutes. Then Dearbhla Magee and Sara Louise Graffin hit two points each with a point from Isabel O’Connor in reply.

Down responded to Fitzpatrick’s penalty save with two further points, one each from Magee and Graffin, to leave them in a healthy position with 20 minutes gone. But they then stuttered as play was interrupted on a couple of occasions for injuries. Graffin fired over a point in the 30th minute, before Meath hit back with scores in added time.

The visitors to Clonduff Park reduced the gap further with a point from Ellen Burke on the re-start, but Down then hit three points without reply through Graffin (free), Magee and Sands.

Although Meath pulled two of those back, Graffin responded with a 43rd-minute pointed free and then, within 40 seconds, found Saoirse Sands for the opening goal.

Six minutes later Sands returned the favour for Graffin to put Down 2-12 to 0-7 clear and in the home straight.

As they did in their final group game in Loughgiel a fortnight ago, Meath kept working away and were rewarded with three late points for Aoife Carey – but they were too late to make any impact on the scoreboard.

The other semi-final this coming weekend will feature Antrim and Offaly. The Faithful saw off Carlow 3-18 to 2-9 in Tullamore on Saturday.

Down C Fitzpatrick, A McDowell, D Coleman, E Fitzpatrick, C McGilligan, B Fitzpatrick capt, B Savage, D Savage, O McCusker, S Sands 1-2, SL Graffin 1-6 (0-3f), D Magee 0-4, S McGrath, N McGrath, E Elliott

Subs G Cunningham 0-1f for E Elliott (45), A Brown and G McGrattan for E Fitzpatrick and O McCusker (50), A Murphy and K McGilligan for SL Graffin and N McGrath (57)

Meath T Murphy, L O’Neill, C Coffey, S Payne, E Leddy, R O’Neill, L Devine capt., E Regan, A Carey 0-5 (0-3f), I O’Connor 0-3, C Foley, G Connolly 0-1, M Clince, E Burke 0-1, G Coleman.

Subs E O’Brien for G Coleman (37), A Boyle for B Kelly (46), B Kelly for M Clince (54), E Boyle for R O’Neill (57)

Referee K Collins (Galway)