Galway's hurlers had far too much experience and far too much craft for an under-strength Meath in a very one-sided encounter at Ballinasloe.

Barely 300 spectators turned up at Duggan Park to watch as the Tribesmen waltzed to a 25point victory over a Royal side which hadn't been at all disgraced in their previous Division 1A appearances. Galway piled on the pressure right from the beginning and led by 1-6 to 0-0 after just nine minutes, with the goal coming from Darren O'Shaughnessy after Meath 'keeper Mark Gannon had denied the raiding Alan Kerins.

However, the in-form Kerins didn't have long to wait to find the Meath net and he was set up by Niall Linnane in the 14th minute as the Royals floundered in the heavy conditions. Without the influential trio of Nicky Horan, Paul Donnelly and Fergus McMahon, Meath were unable to prevent Kerins netting a second time in the opening half and at the interval Galway were already well out of sight, leading by 3-12 to 1-4, the Meath goal having come from James Canty in the 18th minute.

Although they failed to raise any further green flags in the second half, Galway continued to pile on the agony, with Liam Burke's free-taking impressing and the influential Darren O'Shaughnessy sending over a barrage of points.

GALWAY: K Devine; E McDonagh, M Healy, O Canning; G Lynskey (0-1), L Hodgins, C Moore; P Walsh (0-1), N Shaughnessy; N Linnane (0-1), L Burke (0-10, 9f), G Glynn; K Broderick (0-2), A Kerins (2-5), D O'Shaughnessy (1-5). Subs: D Tierney for Glynn, C Coen for Moore, F Gantly for Hodgins (inj).

MEATH: M Gannon; A O'Neill, D Murray, M Mullen; C Kenna, T Reilly (0-1, f), G Reilly; J Canty (1-0), R Dorgan; D Troy, K Dowd, T Fox; N Reilly, P Potterton (0-5, 4f), J Donoghue. Subs: B Perry for Mullen, S Kane for D Reilly, G Cole for Troy, P Connell for Donoghue.

Referee: G Devlin (Armagh).