Trim .............. 0-17
Dunboyne ...... 1-11
Trim overcame numerial disadvantage and the concession of the game's only goal to defeat Dunboyne in an exciting Ted Murtagh SHC semi-final at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday.
Trim had just regained the lead, 0-11 to 1-7, when Higgins was shown a straight red card on the advice of a linesman following an off the ball incident in the 39th minute.
With team captain James Toher leading by example, John Andrews' men responded with three points on the spin to move four points clear by the 44th minute.
Toher got the sequence going with a well-worked point from play to end a move he started with a sideline cut at the stand side.
Trim lost Alan Douglas - who pulled up in the 49th minute with what seemed to be a hamstring injury. The number 13's contribution included five points from play and before leaving had just placed Ciaran Joyce for a score.
That left it 0-15 to 1-10 and broke a sequence of three Dunboyne scores that trimmed their deficit to the minimum. The Trim defence excelled itself in the latter stages as Dunboyne endeavoured to salvage their campaign. Sub Sean Quigley's third point in the 54th minute proved to be the final score for John Gorry's men.
A memorable afternoon for Trim was sealed with Toher's seventh score and Neil Heffernan effort from an acute angle.
First to show were Trim with three points in just over four minutes with James Andrews, Alan Douglas and James Toher all registering from play.
Then the tide turned Dunboyne's way and they were on level terms with Trim by the 10th minute. Neil Hackett got them going from a close range free before Stephen Moran and Ger Murphy scores to leave it 0-3-each.
Just before Murphy's score Niall Smyth found Stephen Moran with a low deft pass but the Dunboyne full-forward's low shot was saved brilliantly by Trim 'keeper Brian Carley.
Two more goal chances presented themselves in quick succession. First, Trim's Neil Heffernan's effort was smothered by a vigilant Dunboyne rearguard. Moments later at the other end of the field Ger Murphy found Stephen Moran whose low shot from 20-metres evaded Carley and it was 1-3 to 0-3 after 12 minutes.
Seconds later, with the action at the hospital end Dunboyne's Stephen Clince saved from Alan Douglas at the expense of a 65 which Toher pointed.
Two pointed Toher frees got Trim to within a point of Dunboyne on as many occassions , leading up to the 20th minute, in between Michael O'Grady landed a score from distance for the team in yellow and black.
Dunboyne remained in front until the interval but Trim lost full-forward James Andrews when he pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury with 28 minutes gone.
Trim rallied with Toher picking out Douglas for a point that left his side in arrears by the minimum, 0-8 to 1-6, at the break.
Trim - Brian Carley; Ciaran O'Rourke, Eolan Harrington, Colm McGrath; Ryan Andrews, Colm Doyle, Sean McGee; Ciaran Joyce (0-1), Luke Moran;Damien McGee, James Toher (C) (0-7, 4fs, 1 65), Neil Heffernan (0-1); Alan Douglas (0-5), James Andrews (0-1), Aaron Winters (0-1). Subs - Shane Ashe (0-1) for Winters (26), Dimmy Higgins for J Andrews (28), David Foley for Douglas (51).
Dunboyne - Stephen Clince; Mark O'Connor, Niall Watters, Sean Moran; Fergal O'Neill, Sean McGrath, Andrew McWeeney; Ger Murphy (C) (0-1), Alan Watters; Neil Hackett (0-2), Barry Watters, Michael Dunne; Michael O'Grady (0-1), Stephen Moran (1-1), Niall Smyth (0-1). Subs - Sean Quigley (0-3) for M Dunne (21), John Watters (0-2) for Murphy (26), Darren Dunne for McGrath (ht), Tomas O'Connor for A Watters (40), Paul Fagan for Hackett (55).
Referee - Donal Smyth (O'Mahonys)
*****
Trim report:
Meath Senior hurling semi final result - Trim 0-17, Dunboyne 1-11.
There was great scenes of jubilation for John Andrews and his team in Pairc Tailteann on Sunday evening when the referee blew the full time whistle with Trim ahead by three points and a date with either Kiltale or Kildalkey in the senior hurling final in a couple of weeks. There was tinges of history about this game with Dunboyne on this week of 2014. One hundred years ago next Friday Trim senior hurlers played their first senior hurling final ever against a Dunboyne side that were going for a three in a row and four titles in five years. The date, 3rd. October 1914. Dunboyne won that day but the report in the Meath Chronicle later that week gave due praise for the gallant Trim side as follows - The hurling game proved to be pretty exciting, though the holders won rather comfortably at the close. The Dunboyne team have won the championship three times in a row and five times in all. The Trim hurlers acquitted themselves right well. This being their first appearance in a County Final, it would have been rather much to expect that they could worst such experienced warriors as the hurlers from Dunboyne. There was very little between the teams. With more luck Trim might have won. If they stick together they should make a very bright bid next year for the championship.
How right the reporter was - Trim came back from that defeat and won their first Meath senior hurling title in 1915 and repeated it in 1916 and then went on to win 24 more hurling titles over the following century, two less than Kilmessan on 26. That was Dunboyne's last win ever in a senior hurling final.
So much for the history, now on to the present. This Trim side has been on the crest of the wave in 2014 having gone through the championship unbeaten, topping their group and landing straight into a semi final and the business side of the championship.
The Trim lads propelled themselves into a three point lead in the first five minutes of the game giving great hope to their supporters. The first point came from the hurley of full forward James Andrews when he fired over a crisp point after being found by a long Luke Moran pass from the middle of the field. The second point was impressive with centre half back Colm Doyle lofting a long diagonal pass from his patch to the right wing where the roving James Andrews picked up and flicked to the on running Ciaran O'Rourke who found Alan Douglas in front of goals and then the inevitable point. James Toher put the iceing on the cake when he hit a monster free from the middle of the field and split to posts for a marvellous point. Trim supporters high spirits were somewhat dampened over the next seven minutes when the Dunboyne fight back rewarded them with a goal and three points. During this period the Trim goalkeeper Brian Carley brought off a point blank save but in the eleventh minute he was beaten when a low ball was rasped in and took an angry bounce in the square to hit the roof of the net. In the space of seven minutes the lead had been reversed from Trim being three up to being three down but they recovered and clocked up two points in quick succession. The first came from a James Toher '65 after Alan Douglas worked his way in from the left corner and rifled an on target shot only to be deflected over the end line by the sharp Dunboyne custodian. Toher was on hand again in the thirteenth minute to land a long range point from a free which was won by right half back Ryan Andrews who was fouled in possession after working his way past his marker. Dunboyne responded in the seventeenth minute with a point to keep two ahead. The ever accurate James Toher kept his side in touch with a pointed free in the nineteenth. There was stale mate until the final seven minutes when the sides swapped two points apiece to leave the East Meath side going in ahead by 1-6 to 0-8. Aaron Winters was the Trim marksman in the twenty fifth minute. Alan Douglas wrapped up the half for the Trim lads with the final point just before the half time whistle. Needless to say there was unease for the Trim supporters at half time when after experiencing a great start their side played catch up for the rest of the half and to compound the unease James Andrews retired injured just before half time. He was replaced by Dimi Higgins.
Immediately after the resumption Dunboyne had a point on the board with just one minute gone. But from then to the middle of the half the Reds kicked into overdrive and played fine hurling whilst clocking up six unanswered points to forge ahead by four. The first of these points came from Shane Ashe who found Alan Douglas inside who nailed his score. Ashe was on hand for the second when Damien McGee flicked the sliothar from the ground to the 'in running' Ashe who made no mistake from close in. Douglas did the honours for the third when Neil Heffernan fielded a high ball, was then 'up ended' but managed to get the pass on for the score. James Toher was then on hand to fire over two points to leave the score at the fifteenth minute at 0-14 to 1-7. Dunboyne woke up again and secured three unanswered points in a many minutes to peg back the score to one point in the seventeenth minute. Ciaran Joyce then got on the end of some neat inter passing between Alan Douglas and Neill Heffernan to land his point in the eighteenth minute to keep his side two ahead. The East Meath'ers pulled a point back in the twenty third minute but the Trim lads wrapped up the game with two points in the twenty seventh minute, one from a James Toher free and the final score of the game from Neil Heffernan. Final score, Trim 0-17, Dunboyne 1-11.
As often in the past the Trim goalkeeper carried out two fine point blank saves and was secure with the rest. His two corner backs, Ciaran O'Rourke and Colm McGrath had fine games and marshalled their men well. Centre half back Colm Doyle was again supreme in the centre of defence and supplied his forwards with many fine passes. Minor star Luke Moran had an outstanding game in the middle of the field while up front Alan Douglas, Neill Heffernan, James Andrews and Ciaran Joyce were a constant threat to the Dunboyne defence. James Toher was ever accurate from frees.
The Trim team that started was - Brian Carley, Ciaran O'Rourke, Eolann Harrington, Colm McGrath, Ryan Andrews, Colm Doyle, Sean McGee, James Toher (Captain), Luke Moran, Ciaran Joyce, Damien McGee, Neil Heffernan, Alan Douglas, James Andrews, Aaron Winters.
The Trim subs were - Paul Mullen, Dimmy Higgins, Darragh Kennedy, Steven Doyle, David Foley, James Cullen, Rory McGrath, Shane Ashe, Arney McGee, Jamie Hackett, James Foley.
The Trim scorers were - James Toher 0-8 (6 frees), Alan Douglas 0-4, Neil Heffernan 0-1, James Andrews 0-1, Ciaran Joyce 0-1, Shane Ashe 0-1, Aaron Winters 0-1.
Manager John Andrews
Selectors Paul Dunne, Sean Colgan and Paul Dunne.
Tweet