Trim 3-8  Ratoath 2-11

Trim Report

Trim Junior hurlers continued their good run of form with a well deserved draw with Championship favourites Ratoath in Dunganny last night.

This was a very good game of hurling with a very exciting finish. Trim were probably the better team for much of this game but they hit fifteen wides in total eleven of these wides coming in the first thirty minutes.  Trim were lively from the throw in and had a point on the board from the evergreen Joey Toole after just thirty seconds. Ratoath then took over proceedings and scored five points before Stephen Doyle got the Reds second point after nineteen minutes. Three minutes a after Doyle's point the very dangerous Leighton Massey struck the back of the Ratoath net with a fine goal. Joey Toole added another point from play to put Trim up by a single point with five minutes to play in the first half. Ratoath responded to hit two good point from play before the half time whistle. Half Time Score: Trim 1-3  Ratoath 0-7

Joey Toole was dominating exchanges in the early minutes of the second half and he notched two brilliant points from play in the first five minutes. Ratoath were battling hard and answered Toole's brace with two points to go a point ahead after ten minutes of the second half.  In the next six minutes Trim took over this game they were totally on top in all areas of the field and got the scores to match their dominance with a goal and three points all from play.

The goal was scored by hat trick hero Leighton Massey as he battled hard to win possession, flicked the ball onto his stick and flicked the ball from his stick into the net. Points from youngster Kevin Lennon, Andy O'Brien and Peter Ferrell gave the Reds a four point lead with fourteen minutes to play. Ratoath then had a man sent off and as in many games the team with the fourteen men started to gain the upper-hand By the twenty sixth minute Ratoath were back on level terms after scoring four unanswered points. Trim were on the back foot, Ratoath were looking for the winning score and they taught they had it when a free from seventy meters landed into the Trim square it was doubled on by a Ratoath sub and hit the back of the net, Ratoath were now three points up with normal time up. Trim pressed for the equalizing goal , they got a free on the sixty five meter line, Toole was the free taker, he got instructions from the team manager CJ Murtagh to aim for the black spot and did this perfectly and as the ball travelled towards the black spot Massey doubled on it and crashed the ball to the back of the net.

Referee Martin Ennis blew the final whistle as the ball was pucked out.  A brilliant end to a great game of hurling. 

In the Trim dressing room after the match their was much debait on the scorer of the third and vital goal. Leighton Massey and Joey Toole were both claiming this goal but after Hawk eye and VAR analysis the referee Martin Ennis awarded the goal to Massey !!!!!!!

Trim: Paul Mullen; Karl Flemming, Darragh Kennedy, Padraig Payne; Gary Conroy, Jamie Lee, Kevin Lennon (0-1); Cian Lee, Rory McGrath; Peter Farrell (0-1), Joey Toole (0-4), Stephen Doyle (0-1); Andy O'Brien (0-1), Leighton Massey (3-0), Aaron McGee. Subs: Eoin Thompson, John Delaney, Patrick Lennon for McGee 40 minutes, Sean Thornton for O'Brien.

Ratoath Report

Ratoath 2-11  Trim 3-8

Ratoath's Junior Hurlers battled to an entertaining draw in this 3rd round championship game played in warm dry conditions in Dunganny last night 

Ratoath began on the front foot with 4 unanswered points with Damien O'Meara, Aaron O'Flaherty & Ger Brennan all getting on the score sheet. Trim eventually responded with a point of their own in the 15th minute before striking for the first goal in the 21st minute. Ratoath still finished the half the better with O'Meara (2) and Brian Daly both raising white flags to put their side a point ahead at half time(0-7 to 1-3.

The second half began with both teams exchanging points before the Trim full forward notched his and His team's second goal of the game in the 43rd minute. This was a period when Trim were in the ascendancy , at one stage leading 2-8 to 0-10 . They looked to be heading for victory especially with Ratoath being reduced to 14 men in the 50th minute with O'Meara getting a red card. 

Ratoath though hung on in there and a brilliant overhead strike from the Deise's Finest Tommy Cooper, seconds after coming on as a sub , raised a green flag and suddenly the teams were level.

Shortly after Tom Fadden got on the end of an excellent team move to tap the ball to an empty net. Mick Brazil's charges  were now looking like the victors with the game now in injury time.Alas Trim had the final say when with the last pioc of the game as a 70 meter free went all the way through to the net This tied things up with a draw being the proverbial fair result.

A good result then for Ratoath missing many of their first choice team. A big shout out to Paul Flaherty and Brian Daly , neither of whom had played a hurling match in years but who never looked out of place 

Ratoath: Gavin Hattie; Sean Brazil, Paul Kirwan, Adam Whelan; Pierce Butler, Sean Ryan, Adam Comerford (0-1); Tom Fadden (1-0), Brian Kiernan; James O'Brien (0-1), Ger Brennan (0-2), Brian Daly (0-1); Shane MCGoldrick, Damien O'Meara (0-5, 2 frees, 1 "65), Sean Laffey (0-1). Subs: Paul Flaherty for Kirwan, Tommy Cooper (1-0) for O'Brien.

Tweet

Most Read Stories