LMFM Minor Football Championship Division 1 Group B Round 1
Seneschalstown 0-16 Dunderry 0-07
A number of biblical downpours failed to knock the Seneschalstown Minors off their stride in the second half on Monday evening as they kicked the last 11 points to come away from Dunderry with victory in the opening round of the LMFM Minor Football Championship.
Trailing by two points after Dunderry kicked their seventh and final point a minute into the second period, Seneschalstown took over and gradually worked their way to a comfortable victory.
Seneschalstown got off to an ideal start when Jamie Barry opened the scoring after assistance from Cian Hosie inside a minute, but scores were hard to come by in the opening ten minutes as the heavens opened, and not for the last time over the 60 minutes. Hosie kicked his first point of the hour in the eleventh minute from a free after Aran Carey was fouled. Seneschalstown were three to the good after 13 minutes when Cian Commons powered through the Dunderry defence and clipped over a good score.
Dunderry came into game in the next few minutes, and by the 18th minute they were level after posting three points on the bounce of their own but one of the scores of the evening arrived in the 22nd minute. Charles McCarthy took possession well inside his own half and took off on a run down the sideline. When he passed the first few challenges, the pitch opened up for him and he kept going and going before he was able to kick a fine point from in front of the clubhouse. Commons added his second from play five minutes before the break but Dunderry would finish the half strongly, heading into the dressing rooms at half-time a point in front as they registered another three white flags in a row before Kieran Olwell’s short whistle.
Immediately from the throw-in, Seneschalstown found themselves two points down at the start of the second half, 0-07 to 0-05 but Dunderry would not score again as Seneschalstown took complete control.
Cian Commons got the ball rolling with a fine point from distance out on the left hand side and from the resulting kickout, Aran Carey tied the game up when he was involved in a move with Charles McCarthy and Jamie Barry. In the 36th minute, Cian Hosie put Seneschalstown ahead after Mattie Cowley was fouled when making a darting run along the 13 metre line in behind the Dunderry defence.
The two Cian’s were central to the next score, Hosie was fouled 30 metres out and Commons converted the free from a rather central location. Seneschalstown were in the mood to punish any Dunderry indiscipline at this point, Hosie was successfully back on free taking duty on the right hand side after Charles McCarthy broke the initial defensive line and was impeded. From the other side, Cian Commons kicked the fourth free in a row, a sequence which the rampaging Jack McDonnell ended with a point from his corner back position leaving the scoreboard reading 0-12 to 0-07 after 46 minutes.
As the rain became desperately heavy, mistakes became more frequent and the scores slowed as the game ticked towards the end. Cian Commons was on target twice again, either side of a Phillip Smyth score in the 51st minute. The final score of the hour was another free, Cian Hosie converting when he was fouled close to goal after Eoin McGauran played an excellent pass right into his path.
The lads will be happy to take the victory on a difficult night for football and look forward to the second round at home to Donaghmore/Ashbourne next Monday night in Fr. Tully Park.
Seneschalstown: Jamie Norris, Colm McDonnell, Seán Reilly, Jack McDonnell (0-01), Tadhg Lenehan, Liam Dillon, Bradley Kirwan, Aran Carey (0-01), Cian Commons (0-07, 2fs), Phillip Smyth (0-01), Jamie Barry (0-01), Mattie Cowley, Cian Hosie (0-04, 4fs), Charles McCarthy (0-01).
Sub Used: Eoghan McGauran
