The first Dunderry hurling team to field at Senior level this long time appeared this evening at our own pitch against Drumree in the League.
Given that the management team was only put in place two weeks ago and that we only had one training session under new Manager Paddy Gorey since our ignominious exit from last year's club All Ireland Club at the hands of eventual winners Bennetsbridge it was a great tribute to the players and Paddy and his management team that we fielded at all.
But better late than never and the fact that our opponents will surely regard us as a soft touch for the rest of the year could stand to our advantage.
It was the sort of a day that if you closed your eyes and listened to the howling wind that bit through your clothing you could imagine you were nearer Donetsk than Dunderry.
The weather on that top pitch where I spectated was only brutal and I have the height of respect for our under 14 footballers who battled unsuccessfully against OLdcastle and our under 12 footballers who did a full training session in conditions that can only be described as sub Baltic.
Thanks to be God we have mentors who are still up for it.
Team.
Casey
Sprog Stephens Keenan Spongee Mc Cormack
Cathal Ryan Liam Dempsey Wright
C.Dempsey O Shea
J.Martin J.Moran Gilky
A.Walsh Harrow K.Bruton.
The referee is some man ,fair dues to him as he went straight from refereeing the under 14 match on the top pitch into the hurling match ,where he did a good job in difficult conditions.
We still have a core of basic fitness and stubborn resistance, if still lacking a good bit of stick and handling competency..But this can be put right with time.
The underlying will not to be beaten,the hallmark of this village for a century is still discernible.
Drumree are too a proud hinterland and were probably shocked to be pipped in the final Intermediate strait by us last year.
Pride was at stake here and both teams went at it hammer and tongs.No dirt and a minimum of mouthing on the pitch in what was essentially a slug fest from whistle to whistle.
With a twisted wind in their backs they bossed us around in the first half registering 2-4 to our 0-2 and deservedly so.Our boys took time to grow into the game and were not that confident in their own ability,full back line,which was exceptional ,excepted.And O Shea who had a humdinger.
I expected better in the second half and for twenty minutes we were lord and master.Harrow has magic hands and a first class hurling brain and we saw flashes of what could be routine for him with more dedicated exertion on the training field and I thought that Bruton was withdrawn too soon.
We were more into it in the second half and put them under severe pressure but just couldn't register enough on the scoreboard to narrow the gap enough to storm in front but were well on the way until a five minute lapse in concentration in the final quarter when they registered 4 points in succession and put themselves out of reach.
Having said that we never gave up the ghost and slugged it out to the bitter end but the margin of defeat accurately reflected the hard encounter.
Minogue,Mikie and Feeney got the nod from the bench and Feeney in particular gave it diddy.
Sprog,Spongee,O Shea and Liamie in patches were the pick of our men.
That is not to say that anybody shied away.no one did.but we have much too do and little time to do it.
But full marks for effort.
Footnote.
They say that if you want something done you should ask a busy man.Paddy Gorey,Daire Flanagan and Ted Dowd are busy men .
The Club has entrusted the management of the hurling team to them and to be absolutely clear they are doing the job in a purely voluntary capacity.
I know that they will give it a minimum of 100 per cent effort.
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