Determined Drumconrath eclipsed at sunny Kilmainhamwood
Hosts Kilmainhamwood won this Tailteann Cup game by 3-12 to 1-8 against Drumconrath this evening as PETER O'HALLORAN reports.
Neighbouring north Meath teams who both have seen better days, most notably a quarter of a decade ago when in 1996 the 'Wood won the Keegan Cup and Drumconrath held the pride of the Parish when winning the JFC .
A lot of water has flowed from Whitewood Lake in Kilmainhamwood on through Nobber and on past Loughbracken and Aclare (townlands in Drumconrath) and away to the Sea since those heady days, but both sides where happy to finally get 2021 underway.
It took Kilmainhamwood 45 seconds to open their account as they rattled the net but a determined Drumconrath side shook off that blow to play some nice football and account for three of the next four scores with points from Matthew Durnin (free) on his first adult start and this was added to by Pado Farrelly and Oran Brady.
The 'Wood had pointed again after four minutes so the sides retired for the first water break with Kilmainwood leading 1-1 to 0-3.
As the sun shone brightly on the Costa del Kilmainhamwood, the home side really made hay in the second quarter outscoring the visitors 1-4 and therefore took a healthy 2-5 to 0-3 lead to the half time break.
The team in White did not let up after the change of ends and notched a further 1-3 before Brady managed another score for Drumconrath.
Durnin added two points but these were cancelled out by the home side who led 3-10 to 0-6 at the end of the third quarter.
With Peter Tighe, Tomas Conlon and Durnin to the fore Drumconrath battled hard in the last quarter and indeed out-scored their opponants as Durnin bagged a further 1-2 to narrow the gap somewhat and give hope that maybe with regular games on the horizon there could be a brighter future for the team in red.
Drumconrath - Eoin Muldoon; Cathal Dunne, Daragh Dunne, Patrick Dunne; Tom Callan, Jamie Myles, Robert McEntaggart; Tomas Conlon, Stephan Crosby; Patrick Farrelly (0-1), Daniel Byrne, Oran Brady (0-2); Matthew Durnin (1-5), Declan Lafferty, Peter Tighe. Subs - Jamie O'Neill for D. Dunne, Shaun Murray for Byrne, Patrick Halpin for C. Dunne and Cormac Meegan.