Wicklow SFC final/St Patricks 3-6 Rathnew 1-8: Rathnew's eight-year reign came to an end at Aughrim yesterday despite a dream start after two minutes when they goaled from a Ronan Coffey penalty.
St Patrick's took the lead in the 24th minute when Paul Earls applied the finish to the net.
Rathnew had their first score since the second minute on 29 minutes when Nicky Mernagh pointed, but Darragh O'Sullivan hit back to leave St Patrick's with a meagre two-point advantage, 1-3 to 1-1, at the break.
Just when everyone was expecting Rathnew to pull away with the aid of the wind, O'Sullivan found the the net to put St Patrick's ahead 2-4 to 1-4.
On 61 minutes David Smullen rifled home the third goal for the winners.
ST PATRICK'S: R Hollingsworth; R Connolly, G Jameson, K Doyle; A Jameson, P McWalter, B Cornyn; M Donoghue, G Duffy; D Smullen (1-0), S O'Brien, J Slattery (0-2); D O'Sullivan (1-2), P Earls (1-1), M Conway. Subs: B Lynn (0-1) for M Conway; D Quinn for Donoghue; M Conway for S O'Brien.
RATHNEW: T Murphy; A Clarke, M Coffey, D Power; B Mernagh, S Byrne, L Glynn; D Byrne, J Stafford (0-1); D Coffey, T Doyle (0-2), A Mernagh; T Gill (0-1), R Coffey (1-2), N Mernagh (0-2). Subs: P Dignam for Murphy.
Referee: P Keogh (Kiltegan).
