MEATH… 0-13
WESTMEATH… 2-07
Having had a dozen points to spare over Cavan last time out, spirits were no doubt high in Royal County camogie circles coming into Saturday’s encounter in the Very Ireland National Camogie League in Trim.
However, over the years, it has been both painfully and joyously demonstratted that when it comes to local derbies the form book can take a day off. Though if what is admittedly continually expanding knowledge of the camogie scene has taught a body anything it’s that there’s never more than a puc of the ball between these two.
In the words of Talking Heads, this time around was the ‘same as it ever was’. Emma Hannifin of the host club got the scoreboard in motion for Meath and the industrious duo of Amy Gaffney and Aoife Carey hit a brace of points apiece.
The maroon and white then got a bit of a break when Holly Dowdall put a ‘Major’ of the highly fortuitous kind in Maggie Randall’s net. Mind you, undeterred, the reliable Grace Coleman riposted with a point.
All of that frantic action meant that a point from Coleman’s Killyon clubmate Katie Connolly gave Neil Cole’s side a 0-08 to 1-04 interval advantage. Which was the very least their endeavours deserved.
Gaffney added a bit more to that immediately after the restart before she and the opposition’s scorer in chief Megan Dowdall traded scores, leaving Meath four clear at that stage.
Dowdall’s influence on the game was increasing exponentially at this stage and she underlined as such by planting an almost identical goal to that which Mat Costello annexed for our male footballers against Louth in Maggie Randle’s net.
Westmeath were again put in the driving seat when Dowdall point until, you’ve guessed it, Gaffney hit back to ensure deadlock with five minutes left.
The Lake County ladies weren’t going away though and when their midfielder Meadbh McLoughlin put them back in front entering stoppage time, it appeared the points were headed on the road, but Gaffney was having none of it.
So it was fitting the match got the ending it deserved when the dynamic Ratoath player split the posts thus ensuring the spoils were shared.
SCORERS – A. Gaffney (0-5), A. Carey (0-3), E. Hannifin (0-2), K. Connolly, G. Coleman and C. Foley (0-1 each).
MEATH – M. Randle; S. Payne, M. Clince, R. O’Neill; L. Devine, E. Burke, G. Connolly; K. Connolly, A. Gaffney; G. Coleman, A. Carey, E. Leddy; E. Hanafin, C. Foley, J. Keogh.
SUBS A. Leahy for Keogh, O. O’Halloran for Leddy, E. O’Connell for Coleman.
Referee: Enda Loughnane (Galway)
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