IACFC Group B – Round 1

St Peter’s Dunboyne got their Intermediate A Championship campaign off to a winning start this morning in Moynalvey, with the Black and Ambers earning a hard-fought four-point victory over Summerhill. Dunboyne made a blistering start, racing into a 0-03 to 0-00 lead inside the opening three minutes. Summerhill responded strongly, however, and two two-pointers helped the ‘Hill turn the game around and lead by two points after eight minutes. The key moment arrived in the 10th minute. Niall Jones fielded expertly and picked out Cathal Melia, who cut in from the right wing before supplying the perfect assist for Harry Healy to fist the ball to the back of the Summerhill net. Dunboyne quickly added to their advantage, with Paul Dempsey fisting over before Niall Jones got on the scoresheet after being picked out by Fergal Watters. Summerhill responded with three points, including a free and a two-point free, before Evan McCrudden restored Dunboyne’s momentum in the 18th minute. After seeing his initial effort denied, McCrudden reacted quickest to the rebound and split the posts. The ‘Hill answered with another two-point free, but David Mahon brought the first-half scoring to a close with a lovely chipped score. At the interval, the sides were level: St Peter’s Dunboyne 1-07 (1f) – Summerhill 0-10 (1f, 2x2ptf). With the aid of the breeze in the second half, Dunboyne moved two points clear through scores from Mahon and Melia. Summerhill pulled one back in the fifth minute, but Mahon then converted a free before Harry Healy stretched the Dunboyne advantage to three points at 1-11 to 0-11. Summerhill responded with another point, but Dunboyne’s bench then made a significant contribution. Dara Nolan came on to score two points, while Jack Doyle also added a point, pushing the Black and Ambers five points clear. The ‘Hill managed to pull one back late on, but Dunboyne held their composure and the final whistle soon followed, confirming a 1-14 to 0-13 victory. Liam Duggan and his management team will be delighted to get their campaign underway with a win. In what was a relatively low-scoring contest, Dunboyne had nine different scorers, with all six starting forwards troubling the scoreboard. The impact of the bench will also give the management team plenty to think about ahead of Round 2. Next up for St Peter’s Dunboyne is a local derby against neighbours Ratoath, with the game fixed for 22 August in Kilbride. St Peter’s Dunboyne: Aidan Flynn; Pauric Lavin, Andrew Howlin, Cian Tobin, Oran Boylan, James Lonergan, Paul Dempsey (0-01), Ronan Duggan, Fergal Watters, Niall Jones (0-01), Cathal Melia (0-02), Evan McCrudden (0-01), Harry Healy (1-01), David Mahon (0-03, 1f), Ross Reynolds (0-02, 1f). Subs: Jack Doyle (0-01) for Tobin; Diarmuid Delaney for Jones; Daragh Nolan (0-02) for Healy; Conor Murphy for Reynolds; Briain Comiskey for Lavin; Aaron White; Ronan Taggart; Stephen Hendry.

Report by Eamon Murphy