Injury time goal haunts Boardsmill
November 27, 2010Boardsmill were managed by former Drumree player David Troy and that 5-12 to 1-8 win in the championship opener at Kilmessan clearly signalled the 'Mill's intentions after their demotion from the top flight last year when they lost the relegation final to Gaeil Colmcille.
But by the time the teams met in the decider in early September much had changed, with the highly talented Thomas Reilly missing from the Boardsmill lineout and Drumree strengthened by the inclusion of players who had missed that earlier match, including Caoimhin King.
Thomas Leonard and Niall Weir both netted twice as Boardsmill opened up a 4-5 to 0-5 interval lead in the initial encounter and it was all over bar the shouting. It was encouraging to see long-term injury absentee Reilly back in championship action and Troy's team brought their goal tally to nine in two games when drawing (4-9 each) with another of the fancied teams for the title Blackhall Gaels at Kiltale.
Two more followed when they defeated Kildalkey's second string by 2-19 to 0-8 at Trim, but the goals dried up in the next two group matches when they defeated Dunderry by 0-11 to 0-6 at Kilmessan and were held to a draw by Kilmessan's 'reserve' side (0-11 each) at Trim.
They were still safely through to the semi-finals and there to meet them at Trim were Dunderry who they had beaten by five points in the fourth round of group assignments. This time the goal machine was at work again as Boardsmill scored three in the second half to secure a 3-13 to 1-13 victory.
Martin Conway (two), Niall O'Rourke and Thomas Leonard scored first half points for Boardsmill, but Dunderry led by 0-8 to 0-4 at the break after playing with the wind. The introduction of John Flood and the switch of Eoin Corrigan to full-back made a difference and the 'Mill took over on the restart.
They scored 2-6 in a highly productive 10-minute spell, including goals from Jimmy Pratt and Weir, and led by 2-10 to 0-9 at the three-quarter stage. But Dunderry battled back and had reduced the deficit to the minimum with two minutes of normal time remaining. It was all to play for, but Boardsmill maintained their composure and a late goal from substitute Paul Slattery made it safe. Three late points by O'Rourke were also significant.
Drumree defeated Blackhall in the other semi-final, so Troy would come face to face with his native club in the final at Trim. This match concluded in the most dramatic and painful circumstances for Boardsmill as they were caught with a controversial late goal which gave Drumree victory.
Boardsmill played against the wind in the first half and Drumree led by 0-4 to 0-3, before goals from O'Rourke on 21 minutes and Weir eight minutes later appeared to put the 'Mill in the driving seat. However, Mike Cole's Drumree finished the period best and trailed by only 0-8 to 2-3 at the interval.
Nine wides proved disastrous for Boardsmill in the second half which brought few scores. Drumree didn't score in the first 20 minutes and the losers didn't hit the target beyond the 24th minute when Thomas Leonard pointed. They were made to pay for their waywardness when substitute David Crimmins notched the winning goal six minutes into injury time.
It looked like a harsh decision by referee Gerry Keoghan to penalise Bernard McLoughlin as he tried to clear and after the resultant free from Shane Troy was blocked, Crimmins netted. Boardsmill had one last chance to equalise, but O'Rourke's long range free was wide and it finished 1-10 to 2-6.
It was a cruel way to lose, with all of Boardsmill wondering why so much injury time was played. Getting it right next year will be a big priority, but with Rathmolyon now in the mix that won't be easily achieved.
"It was a huge disappointment," said Stephen Gibbons who started the final at centre-forward. "We just never got going. We were very flat for the whole game. It was a match that never livened up at all. It was an awful way to lose at the end. Two points is a dangerous lead. You're better off being one ahead.
"The referee penalised a couple of our lads for over-carrying during the game and blew against Bernard McLoughlin for over-carrying at the end. The winning goal came from that free. It was saved, but they scored from the rebound.
"I still feel gutted. If we had performed we would have won. We had nine wides in the second half and Drumree must have had nearly as many in the first half. We were hitting frees long and wide instead of trying to do something different. You can't afford to score only three points in the second half. There was no score from either team in the first 18 minutes of that half. That's poor."
It was a far cry from the earlier group game when Boardsmill cruised to victory.
"That earlier game had no relevance to the final," Stephen added. "Drumree had players back who didn't play in that game, including Caoimhin King. They were a lot stronger the second time we played them.
"Thomas Reilly was a big loss to us. He was out for a long time with a leg injury. He came back for our first game this year, but the injury couldn't take the pressure. He was missed. He's great with the frees.
"It was disappointing, but we have a young team and have lads on Meath minor and under-21 teams. With Rathmolyon in the intermediate championship next year it won't be easy to win it and there will also be the junior winners. But we have to remain optimistic."
The Boardsmill team in the final was - S Masterson; P Guy, V Guy, B McLoughlin; R Hatton, D Farrell, J Flood; N McLoughlin (0-1), E Cribbin; N O'Rourke (1-3), S Gibbons (0-1), M Conway; J Pratt, T Leonard (0-1), N Weir (1-0). Subs - C Flattery for Cribbin, S Flood for P Guy.
David Troy doubled up as Boardsmill football manager and they endured a difficult JFC campaign. They were greatly weakened by the departure of Keith Hamilton and Eoin Dunne to Trim and opened the championship with a heavy loss to Ballivor (0-1 to 4-16) at Longwood.
Two more comprehensive defeats followed at the same venue - 1-5 to 2-13 against Bective and 0-4 to 1-16 against Summerhill - before Navan O'Mahonys beat them by 1-21 to 3-4 at Kilmessan. Boardsmill gave a walk over to Donaghmore/Ashbourne in their last group game and were scheduled to meet Gaeil Colmcille in a relegation play-off, but instead opted to be regraded.
Memorable camogie success
Many years of frustration came to an end when the Boardsmill camogie team brought great joy to the club's supporters this year by claiming the Meath Junior Championship title.
Joe Kelly managed the successful team, with that great servant of club and county TJ Reilly acting as trainer, and their victory over a gallant Drumree team in the final at Dunsany clearly meant a great deal to all concerned. They appreciated the effort that went into it and the fact that it was achieved in a tense and heart-stopping finish added to the sense of excitement.
Boardsmill had lost five previous finals, so their day in the sun was certainly overdue. They were favourites going into the final after defeating Drumree comfortably in two earlier group games, but Kelly and Reilly would undoubtedly have told them on the run-up to the decider that previous results counted for nothing.
Drumree defended very well under pressure from the start and Edel Dugdale was denied a goal when 'keeper Cliona O'Riordan saved well. Shona White edged Boardsmill ahead with a well-taken point. O'Riordan came to Drumree's rescues again when she blocked Karen McCarthy's shot, before Dugdale followed up by shooting wide.
White gave Boardsmill a big boost when she goaled near the end of the opening quarter, but Drumree were soon level thanks to a point and then a goal from Emma Doyle. White gave the 'Mill the lead again with a point, before Kim Slater equalised for Drumree.
Caroline Loughran proved deadly accurate from a '45' which gave Boardsmill a 1-3 to 1-2 interval advantage, but despite playing against the wind Drumree levelled two minutes into the second half when Cliona Murphy pointed. Team captain Enda Kennedy edged Boardsmill ahead again, but when Emma Doyle scored Drumree's second goal they were in front and looked more likely to win.
However, the real drama was still to come as Loughran scored a brilliant goal for Boardsmill with six minutes of normal time remaining to leave them ahead by the minimum. With six minutes of injury time being played and Drumree attacking frantically in a bid to save the day, it took trojan defending to maintain the lead.
Boardsmill battled valiantly under pressure and when the final whistle eventually sounded and they had won by 2-4 to 2-3 it signalled wild celebrations. The success was achieved with a tremendous team performance, with goalkeeper Trisha Guy making some vital saves and full-back Aileen McGowan and corner-back Deirdre Hoey other key players when the lead was under threat.
Suzanne Keogh was named 'player of the match' and Loughran, Collette Kelly, Deirdre Gibbons, Avril Stellini, White and Kennedy were others to shine. Kennedy had the added satisfaction of receiving the cup from Camogie Board chairperson Valerie Curtis.
The Boardsmill team in the final was - T Guy; D Hoey, A McGowan, D Gibbons; L Bagnall, C Loughran (1-1), C Kelly; A Stellini, S McLoughlin; S Keogh, S White (1-2), E Kennedy (0-1); E Dugdale, K McCarthy, A O'Rourke. Subs - A Corrigan for O'Rourke, K McGowan for Dugdale, AM McLoughlin for Bagnall.
Boardsmill camogie reaches the Holy Grail
All good things come to those who wait and after many years of disappointment Boardsmill finally got their reward when they survived a brave Drumree challenge to claim the Meath Junior Camogie title at Dunsany, with a Boardsmill 2-4 to 2-3 win over Drumree. After five final failures in heartbreaking circumstances it was Boardsmill's turn to inflict pain as Caroline Loughran struck a wonder goal six minutes from the end of normal time and then Boardsmill survived six torturous minutes of injury-time. Defeat was cruel on Drumree. They went into the final as massive underdogs. They had lost heavily to Boardsmill twice in the group stages of the championship and few gave them a chance. However, they battled magnificently throughout and were pipped at the post by a side that used the experience of previous defeats to survive. It was all about survival in the closing minutes for Boardsmill. After falling behind to an Emma Doyle goal with 15 minutes remaining, they managed to get their noses in front again and defended like soldiers guarding the crown jewels.
Drumree owned the ball for the final ten minutes. They were camped inside the Boardsmill 20-metre line for that entire time and it took some heroic defending by Boardsmill to keep them at bay. Aileen McGowan was a rock at full-back while birthday girl, goalkeeper Trisha Guy, made a couple of vital saves. In those stressful final few moments Deirdre Hoey made a couple of magnificent clearances while Loughran, Collette Kelly and Deirdre Gibbons also did well. While Boardsmill had their heroines in defence they also had several outstanding performers further out the field with Avril Stellini driving them forward from midfield and Suzanne Keogh tormenting the Drumree rearguard with her probing runs. Shona White also caused Drumree's defence plenty of problems while Enda Kennedy also chipped in with a fine score and provided an excellent outlet to ensure the win. Drumree, who were appearing in their first final, can be proud of their efforts. They pushed the best team in the junior championship right to their limits and if they had enjoyed a little more luck they could have snatched a surprise win. The Drumree midfield pairing of Roisin Dushlaine and, in particular, Cliona Murphy were very impressive while Niamh Kelleher also caused problems.
It was a superb defensive display by Drumree. They restricted Boardsmill to just six scores and most of them were from long-range as Drumree were very compact at the back and limited the favourites. In the early stages of the contest it looked sure to be a long afternoon for Drumree as Boardsmill enjoyed plenty of possession and launched wave after wave of attacks. However, Drumree were defensively sound and when Boardsmill did breakthrough Edel Dugdale was denied a goal by a fine save from Cliona O'Riordan. It took seven minutes for Boardsmill to eventually find their range. Great work by Keogh and Sinead McLoughlin set up White for a superb point. O'Riordan denied Karen McCarthy with another fine save and Dugdale blasted the follow-up wide.
Towards the end of the first-quarter more great work by Keogh and McCarthy set up White whose long-range drive deceived O'Riordan for a goal which gave Boardsmill a 1-1 to 0-0 lead. It would have been easy for Drumree to capitulate, but instead they regrouped and opened their account when Emma Doyle lofted over a free after Kelleher was fouled. Two minutes later another long Kelleher free broke in the square where Doyle appeared to get the last touch in a scramble to restore parity. Boardsmill were shocked by Drumree's reply, but a superb White point from the right sideline restored their lead. Kim Slater latched onto a centre to leave the sides level again, but Loughran ensured a 1-3 to 1-2 interval lead for Boardsmill when she converted a '45.' Boardsmill were expected to pull clear with the aid of the wind after the break, but it didn't transpire like that. Within two minutes Drumree was level when Murphy pointed and it took a further 10 minutes before Boardsmill opened their second-half account when Kennedy pointed for a 1-4 to 1-3 lead. Then came all the drama of the final quarter. Doyle's goal looked to have won it for Drumree, but Boardsmill's hunger and commitment proved decisive as Loughran's long-range goal restored their one-point cushion and their stern defensive action ensured that lead remained intact.
Boardsmill - T Guy; D Hoey, A McGowan, D Gibbons; L Bagnall, C Loughran (1-1, '45), C Kelly; A Stellini, S McLoughlin; S Keogh, S White (1-2), E Kennedy (capt)(0-1); E Dugdale, K McCarthy, A O'Rourke. Subs - A Corrigan for O'Rourke 41 mins, K McGowan for Dugdale 43m, A M McLoughlin for Bagnall 52m .
Manager Kelly's brilliant effort
When Joe Kelly took on the challenge of manager of the Boardsmill Junior camogie team last November he promised silverware for the team in 2010 and in true Joe Kelly fashion he delivered on that promise, he started 2010 putting the girls through the mill with training sessions and after months of hard grafting, they reaped the reward.
Boardsmill recorded a bumper year on the playing fields of Meath being crowned County Champions at Under 11 beating Ratoath in a thrilling game, while the Under 14s beat a fancied Kilmessan side, with the highlight of the year being the Junior Team crowned Meath Junior Camogie Champions 2010 when they defeated a determined Drumree side by a single point in the Junior County Final in Dunsany on 29th August 2010.
Boardsmill's under 10's drew their County Final only to loose out to a strong Ratoath team in the replay, while the Under 12's & Under 13's were very unfortunate also, loosing out to Ratoath in their respective finals.
The club also fielded teams at Under 8 and these players participated in club blitzes every other weekend.
The third Annual Tommy Murray seven-a-side camogie blitz
Three years ago Boardsmill Camogie Club decided to host an annual 7 a side blitz inviting clubs from Meath and surrounding counties to participate. Over the last three years the blitz has gone from strength to strength with eight teams participating in this year's blitz. Boardsmill, Trim and Drumree entered two teams each and from outside the County, Westmeath club Brownstown and Kildare club Broadford all vied for the prestigious Tommy Murray Cup. Brownstown claimed the silverware in the final match of the day which saw Boardsmill's Team B pipped at the post, while Boardsmill's Team A won the shield final beating Drumree.
U12 final: Boardsmill get past Ballivor in Division 6
Boardsmill collected the Meath U12 Division 6 title with a hard earned 2-6 to 1-7 victory over Ballivor at Pairc Tailteann.
The winners led at half time 0-6 to 0-2. In the opening minutes of the second half Boardsmill got in for their first goal courtesy of Ruairi Gordon. Ballivor replied with a goal of their own through Evan Fitzgerald. With Niall Durkan dominating at midfield Boardsmill withstood a late Ballivor rally to hold out for victory.
Best for the winners were goalkeeper Rhianon Hoey who brought of a great second half save, Kealy Hannon, Niall Durkan, Toni Hannon and Craig Kelly while Ballivor were best served by Jake Dunne, Ciaran Dowling, Conor Hayes, Thomas McLeod and Evan Fitzgerald
After the game Boardsmill captain Niall Durkan was presented with the cup by Paul Mooney Chairman of the Meath Juvenile Board.
Boardsmill - Rhianon Hoey, Cathal Wall, Evan Gordon, Danny Dixon, James Mitchell, Kealy Hannon, Hugh Johnston, Niall Durkan 1-4, Toni Hannon, Allanah Hannon, Craig Kelly 0-1, Tadg Bird 0-1, Gary Regan, Ronan Kelly, Hannah Tuite. Subs - Conor McLoughlin, Ruairi Gordon 1-0, John Halton, Ian McGrath, Jack Dixon and Mark Hatton
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