Navan O’Mahony’s 1-17 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-14

Navan O’Mahony’s got off to a winning start in the IHC with a six point victory over Donaghmore/Ashbourne in Kilmessan on Saturday evening. Leading by two points at half time, O’Mahony’s kept their narrow lead throughout the half before pushing on in the closing minutes.

Dermot McKenna opened the scoring for O’Mahony’s with a point from play in the second minute, followed by a good score from Sam Formosa. Donaghmore/Ashbourne hit three wides in the next five minutes before Cormac Keyes hit an impressive score under pressure to put three between the sides.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne responded quickly and three minutes later, the gap was reduced to a single point. In the 13th minute, a Jack Flynn ball into the square landed on the ground where Formosa gained possession and sent it to the net. Ashbourne hit three points in the next five minutes, two from frees while Jack Walsh kept the scoreboard moving for the Brews Hill side.

The sides exchanged points again in the next three minutes, with Keyes scoring both a free and a 65 for O’Mahony’s. With a goal points between the teams, Thomas Cully executed a textbook block to gain possession and was ultimately fouled, with Keyes scoring the resulting free. 

In the final five minutes of the half, Ashbourne added three scores to O’Mahony’s one, leaving two in it at the interval.

Navan O’Mahony’s 1-08 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-09

O’Mahony’s were quick off the mark in the first ten minutes of the second half and courtesy of points from Flynn and midfielder Jack McConnell extended the lead to four points after five minutes.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne pointed from play in the sixth minute, followed two minutes later by a Cormac Keyes free. In the next five minutes, the south Meath side added two points and would have had another only for an impressive hook from Evan Brady.

In the fourteenth minute, the sides exchanged points with Keyes scoring for O’Mahony’s. The seventeenth and nineteenth minutes saw two points for O’Mahony’s, one from midfielder Thomas Cully and one from Keyes. In between these scores, a Mark Usher block was crucial to deny an Ashbourne score.

There were three points between the sides after a twenty-first minute free for Ashbourne when a penalty was awarded against Navan O’Mahony’s. Netminder John Foley was cool under pressure, diving the right way and driving the ball to safety.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne didn’t score after this, although looked dangerous on several opportunities. Corner forward Finn Malone took two impressive scores in this time, giving his side some breathing space. An injury time free from Keyes was the last score of the game, setting Navan O’Mahony’s up with their first opening-round win in a number of years.

Navan O’Mahony’s: John Foley, Cormac O’Shea, Ben McEntagart, Finn McNally, Evan Brady, Mark Usher, Dermot McKenna (0-01), Jack McConnell (0-01), Thomas Cully (0-01), Cormac Keyes (0-09, 0-08 frees), Sam Formosa (1-01), Jack Walsh (0-01), Finn Malone (0-02), Shane McCarthy, Jack Flynn (0-01)

Gerard Dillon for McConnell

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