Senior Hurling Championship Round 5; Sunday 28th August

Trim 1-21 vs 2-19 Kiltale

Trim travelled to Boardsmill on Sunday afternoon for a 4pm fixture against Kiltale. This fifth round game would not alter the qualifiers as both teams were already guaranteed the top 2 places in their group. What was at stake was 1st place, and a marker would be put down by both teams as to their intentions going into the semi finals. An exciting clash was to be served up, and neither team disappointed on the day.

Trim opened the scoring with a James Murray free before Kiltale’s Jack Regan scored 2 frees all inside the opening 5 minutes. Trim goalkeeper Charlie Ennis then stepped up to a free from his own 45 and sent the sliotar sailing over the black spot; a 95meter point! This spurred on the Trim side to score 5 more unanswered points by the 18th minute. The remainder of the first half was an evenly contested affair and Trim went in at half time with a 3 point lead.

Half time: Trim 0-11 v 0-08 Kiltale

The second half was very balanced on the scoring front, with Murray and Regan continuing a spectacle of free taking from all angles and distances. Murray also scored a couple of impressive points from play showing his prowess extends beyond the dead ball. Up until the 59th minute, Trim always looked like they’d squeak a narrow victory.

In the final minute of normal time, Kiltale were awarded a free about 50 meters out near their sideline, they trailed by 2 and everyone expected Regan to take the point. A fantastic burst through the middle by James Kelly resulted in a goal and Kiltale took the lead. The following minute saw 2 more points for Kiltale and a 5 point swing on the scoreboard. There would be a total of 5 minutes injury time played and Trim fought to the death, Conor Quigley scoring a goal in the 65th minute but unfortunately it was in vain as Kiltale had taken the spoils, by a single point.

Full Time: Trim 1-21 vs 2-19 Kiltale

Trim will now face the winners of Kildalkey vs Kilmessan and Jimmy Canty will have 4 weeks to get his players ready for that fixture. Overall an entertaining game from a neutral perspective today in Boardsmill and we’ll look forward to the next game.

Trim team and scorers:

Charlie Ennis (0-01, 1free), Gerard Dwane, Gary Flemming, Ben Holden, Ciaran O’ Rourke, Neil Heffernan (0-01), Conor Quigley (1-00), Joey Cole (0-01), David Murtagh (0-01), James Murray (0-14, 7frees,1 65m, 1sideline), James Andrews, Peter Farrell, Mikey Cole (0-02), Alan Douglas (0-01), Brian Dowling.

Subs: Conor McKeown for Farrell.