Rathnew - 1-5 Baltinglass - 1-3:WICKLOW/SF Final: Leinster champions Rathnew are back in the provincial club series to defend their title following a five points win over old rivals Baltinglass in a rain-sodden Wicklow senior football final at Aughrim yesterday.

Following this win, Rathnew are now just one title short of equalling Baltinglass' record of eight titles in a row.

In driving rain all the way through this match, the men from Rathnew adapted much better, allowing the ball to do the work as they refrained from the short passing game of their opponents.

Baltinglass lined out without their former All Star Kevin O'Brien, who was recovering from a calf muscle injury picked up in the semi-final against Dunlavin, and he was a big loss.

O'Brien did appear for the last 13 minutes of the match, but it was too late as Rathnew had scored their goal a minute earlier, which gave them a 1-7 to to 0-3 lead and had effectively put the game out of reach of the Slaneysiders.

O'Brien did lift Baltinglass immeasurably and rocketed a great goal in off the crossbar and past a packed Rathnew goal from a free in the dying seconds.

Rathnew led by double scores 0-4 to 0-2 at the break.

With Tommy Gilly deadly accurate from placed balls, the champions pulled further ahead after the interval.

But the key moment came early in the half when Baltinglass presented Rathnew with the clinching goal when the ball was spilled in midfield, and was fed upfield to Richard Dignam, who set up midfielder James Stafford to volley a ground shot to the net.

RATHNEW: T Murphy; L Glynn, E White, J McDonald; E Franey, B Mernagh, C Murphy; J Stafford (1-0), D Byrne; R Dignam, T Doyle (0-1), A Mernagh; S Byrne, R Coffey, T Gill (0-7). Subs: N Mernagh for S Byrne.

BALTINGLASS: K Quirke; N Fleming, B Whelan, T Furlong; P Fleming, H Kenny, B Cullen; R Danne, C Foley; T Murphy, J O'Keeffe, S Wall; JP Kelly, A Nolan (0-3), H Sinnott. Subs: C Dalton for Fleming, K O'Brien (1-0) for Kelly, P Garrigan for Sinnott.

Referee: J Bannon (Longford).