At a bitterly cold Dunganny this morning at 11.30 Dunderry fielded with the hope of matching their minor league cup with its sweeter companion the Championship cup.
I have never seen a championship final at this level played of a Saturday morning in December until now.What gives.?Not that either team accrued an advantage because of the venue nor conditions.
In fact the pitch was grand and the referee Jimmy Bourke referred the match with his usual aplomb.To get a free from him you must earn it.No time for divers or whingers then.This man was playing manfully before all the protagonists were born.He refs as he played---hard and fair and don't bother whinging thank you.
I must again thank Jimmy Henry ,the referee ,assessor and addicted Gael ,who yet again found a chair for yours truly to rest his weary bones .Thanks Jimmy and the best of luck next week.Hope you make a quick recovery.
The following Dunderry team started this 13 a side final,with a strong wind in their backs.
Jim Mitchell
Conor O Shea Alan Garry
Conor Dempsey Dylan Keenan Paul Mulligan
Brendan Wright John Moran
Darren Clabby Stefan Clarke Simon Carty
Stephen Coogan Luke Martin.
Bench.Alan Casey,Shane Murphy.Cathal Ryan.Killian Leonard,Paddy Kenneally ,Michael Keaveney.
We started well with a brace of goals .one from a cunning bat of an incoming high ball by Martin to the net and another direct to the net from a Coogan 45.Before half time we tagged on two points.
These are two well trained and well drilled teams,all the hurling skills in each armoury ,brimming with confidence and not lacking in the physical stakes either.It was tit for tat in the first half with KIldalkey tagging on 5 pints and more ominously missing maybe half a dozen more chances.Admittedly the under pressure Dunderry defence has a lot to do with theses misses as the old adage of keeping the attackers under pressure applied.
Make no mistake about it though ,Kildalkey are a good team and not used to loosing either.Both teams played sweet confident hurling and few balls were wasted ,each team finding their own men rather than sending them astray.Supporters in the sizable crowd were vociferous in their support ,Dunderry easily victors in this regard.Half time ,we lead 2-2 to 0-5.
It probably gives a flavour of the second half if I say that we got a solitary point in the second half and that James Michell our keeper had the game of his life ,keeping his finger in the dyke above and beyond.But even he had to pick the ball out of the net four times despite the herculean efforts of the backs ,who were breached by wave after wave of a well marshaled Kildalkey team .
Overall they were stronger,more confident and had more players with panache than we had.Maybe six of ours matched theirs but this was not enough on the day.
We were well beaten in the end even though we never gave up trying but the touch of inspiration we needed was never likely to appear,despite Casey replacing Carty in the last 15 minutes.
There is no shame in losing when you give it your all and our lads can hold their heads up high.
Dunderry don' do despair.This lesson will be absorbed and work will continue to match the excellence of the victors.
We know the standard we must match.
We congratulate KIldalkey on their victory and they are an example to rural Ireland and show that all is not lost yet,despite the appalling economic mess in which we flounder.
Bad day in the office but proud day for the evangelical hurling heartlands of Meath .
Minoge,Keenan and Mc Laughlin.Keep at it.
Great to see Loman Dempsey supporting his nephew and local team.
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