St Peter’s Dunboyne 1-16 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-12

St Peter’s Dunboyne booked their place in the U21 Hurling Championship Division 1 semi-final with a well-deserved victory over neighbours Donaghmore/Ashbourne at Rooske this afternoon. Played in horrible conditions, this Round 3 encounter proved a stern test for Dunboyne, who had to work hard to overcome an early deficit before producing a strong second-half performance to secure the win. After a sluggish start, Dunboyne gradually found their rhythm and finished the second quarter in impressive fashion, hitting five points in succession to get themselves back into contention. However, Ashbourne had made good use of their opportunities, including a number of frees and a 65, and held a 0-9 to 0-7 advantage at the interval. With the wind at their backs for the second half, Dunboyne set about turning the game around. Sean Cregan was particularly influential on the scoreboard, finishing with an excellent eight points, five of them from frees. Johno Harkin also made a crucial contribution, finding the net with a well-taken goal that put Dunboyne in front. Having fought their way into the lead, Dunboyne refused to surrender their advantage. Liam Davis in the Dunboyne goal also called into action during the second half with a wonderful save at a crucial juncture. They continued to add to their tally and kept Ashbourne at bay to finish with seven points to spare, confirming their place in the last four.

The reward for the victory is an away semi-final against Trim, with the date yet to be confirmed. St Peter’s Dunboyne: Liam Davis; Paul Dempsey, Eoghan Pearl, Jack Gallagher; Eoghan MacDonald (0-1), James Lonergan, Cian Rohan; Jamie McCormack, Rory Callanan (0-1); Harry Healy, Conor Murphy (0-1), Ronan Conheady (0-1); Shane McCormack (0-1), John Harkin (1-3), Sean Cregan (0-8, 5 frees). Subs: Ciaran McCormack (for Cian Rohan); Cian Duggan (for Jamie McCormack); Eoin McCrudden (for Jamie McCormack); Evan Murphy (for Rory Callanan); Joel Mangan (for Ronan Conheady); Shea Mooney (for Conor Murphy).

Nallys SuperValu Dunboyne

Report by Eamon Murphy