Gaeil Colmcille/Loughcrew Gaels reached their second Division 1 Minor Hurling Final in three years with an eight point win over Donaghmore/Ashbourne at a windswept Dunganny on Tuesday evening.
With a three point lead at the interval, The Gaels showed great grit and determination to extend their lead in the second period and hold out for the win over a strong Donaghmore/Ashbourne side. The Gaels Ryan Corcoran got the scoring underway in the opening two minutes and after two wides from The Moores it was the North Meath outfit who struck for their second point on 8 minutes thanks to the hurl of Shea McManus.
Andrew Gormley increased The Gaels lead to 0-03 to 0-00 before Donaghmore/Ashbourne got off the mark in the 13th minute thanks to a free. The Moores got their second soon after but Corcoran added a further score to restore The Gaels two point lead. Both sides traded scores with the hard working Fergal Flynn scoring for The Gaels. Tiernan Anderson added The Gaels sixth point of the half on 27 minutes to leave it 0-06 to 0-03 in favour of Gaeil Colmcille/Loughcrew Gaels in what was a cagey opening half.
The Gaels got the perfect start to the half when Gormley added a seventh score on the day and Gormley’s second point. Things got even better for The Gaels when they got the games opening goal thanks to Darren O’Higgins, O’Higgins no stranger to finding the back of the net after putting five away for Ballinlough in the Minor Football over the weekend.
If Gaeil Colmcille/Loughcrew Gaels thought that was game over, Donaghmore/Ashbourne had other ideas and straight away they cancelled out O’Higgins goal with a goal of their own. Two points in a row from The Gaels midfielder Anderson and wing back Noah Boshell struck over a monster free to hold The Moores at bay. O’Higgins added a point to his goal and it looked as if The Gaels were in total control with a quarter of the game remaining.
With the wind being a factor, Donaghmore/Ashbourne were struggling to find their range and struck two wides and a ball that dropped short into the hands of The Gaels keeper Zac Boshell’s hands. Both Anderson and Corcoran added their third points on the day and the final score of the match came from the stick of Fergal Flynn to see The Gaels march on to the final.
Gaeil Colmcille/Loughcrew Gaels: Zac Boshell, Eoghan Flynn, Oisin Walsh, Shane Callaghan, Liam Devine, Paul Hennessy, Noah Boshell (0-01), Tiernan Anderson (0-03), Feargal Flynn (0-02), Darren O’Higgins (1-01), Shea McManus (0-01), Cillian Fanning, Andrew Gormley (0-02), Jack Galligan, Ryan Corcoran (0-03)
Subs: Conor Óg Ferguson for Galligan, Fionn Morris for Fanning, Leo Fitzgerald for Walsh.
