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Senior Championship Round 1
Sunday 19th April 2009, Ratoath
Full-Time; Duleek/Bellewstown 1-9 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-8
Half-Time; Duleek/Bellewstown 0-6 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-5

Donaghmore/Ashbourne opened their 2009 senior football championship campaign with a defeat to Duleek/Bellewstown on Sunday at Ratoath. This was a lesson in if you don’t take your chances then you are not going to win for the game. The Ashbourne side managed to kick 15 wides while Duleek/Bellewstown were much more economical posting just three.
Donaghmore/Ashbourne started brightly and enjoyed much of the opening possession. Sean Harmon was probing forward and two points each for Niall Farrell, Tadhg Kelly and one from Bryan Menton, who had played the full game plus extra-time for Meath minors the previous evening, kept the east Meath side in touch. The possession was not efficiently used however as they kicked six wides in the opening half. The teams were level five times but it was Duleek/Bellewstown who enjoyed a 0-6 to 0-5 interval lead.
Despite missing more good chances in the opening four minutes after the restart, Sean Harmon restored parity for a sixth time. A minute later Donaghmore/Ashbourne should have been ahead when Ciaran Ellis raced through the middle, but shot wide when clear. Duleek/Bellewstown went close to netting seconds later, but were denied by a fine Danny McShane save.
The key score came eight minutes into the second-half when the Duleek/Bellewstown centre half back moved forward and blasted a magnificent goal from over 20 metres for a 1-6 to 0-6 lead. Inspired by this goal, Duleek/Bellewstown gained control around the middle against Rory O’Connor and Bryan Menton in a mammoth midfield tussle. Despite this Sean Harmon threatened to cause problems but he couldn’t ignite his Donaghmore/Ashbourne colleagues. Duleek/Bellewstown continued to drive forward and added two further points to make it 1-8 to 0-6. Faolan Smith ended a 19-minute barren spell for Donaghmore/Ashbourne with a point. This was responded to with a point and as Donaghmore/Ashbourne tried to pile on the pressure they continued to kick wide after wide with a late Ellis score nothing more that a consolation. Donaghmore/Ashbourne had plenty of chances to salvage something from the contest, but taking wrong options and some poor shooting left them lagging behind to defeat.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne; D McShane; M Lynch, C McGill, S Curran; S Harmon (0-1), E Reilly, J Finnegan; R O’Connor, B Menton (0-1); T Kelly (0-2), C Ellis (0-1), J Broderick; F Smith (0-1), N Farrell (0-2, two frees), A Tormey.
Subs; J P Casserly for Reilly 12 mins, E Carroll for Farrell 19m, M Roche for Casserly 29m.

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