Album Link 

📝 Kevin Coleman 📷 Eliz Payne

On a dark and windy evening, playing on a far from ideal surface, the opening game of this year’s Senior Hurling fixtures was played out under lights at St Loman’s Park between local rivals Trim and Kildalkey. The jerseys were the same and though there was a certain intensity between two long standing rivals, there was a difference. With many of the current Senior squad absented due to County duties, familiar names like Dwane, Quigley, and Molloy were supplemented by other experienced fringe players and a welcome smattering of young talent coming through the ranks. It was also good to see Danny Coleman take the field on a road to full recovery following his unfortunate injury sustained in the County final back in October.

Recently appointed Senior Hurling coach, Paul Kelly, was on the sideline ably assisted by selectors  Declan Murray, C J Murtagh, and Alan Smith. Another familiar face was referee Bernard Heaney so, even though it was still only mid-February, all order was being resumed.

Kildalkey’s Paddy Potterton was the first name on the scoresheet, after early play, and debutant Daniel Fox levelled things up for the home side after three minutes. The rest of the half was nip and tuck with very little between the sides, but the visitors did have a couple of purple patches particularly between the eight and fourteenth minute and, again, between the twenty fourth and twenty eight minute.

In between, points from Conor Quigley (4f), who had taken over free taking duties, Mark Molloy, who was a shining light at mid-field, and debutant Cathal O’Reilly, kept the scores ticking over for the home side.

Kildalkey were early on the mark, after the resumption, with a pointed free from top scorer Niall Mc Nally. Conor Quigley followed with a pointed free and, while scores were increasingly hard to come by, the visitors had another of those purple patches, between the sixth and fifteenth minute, with an unanswered goal and two points.

Conor Quigley had another brace of points to keep the home side in touch but the seven point advantage that Kildalkey had opened up remained the same right up to the final whistle. Before then, Conor Quigley did add a further pair to his tally and Mark Molloy completed the scoring for the home side in the twenty ninth minute.

Trim:  Eoin O’Reilly, Colm McGrath, Gerry Dwane, Darragh McLoughlin, Danny Coleman, Conor Quigley (0-9, 6f), Adam Donoghue, Mark Molloy (0-2), Cian Lee, Cathal O’Reilly (0-1), Conor McKeown, Mark Murray, Daniel Fox (0-1), Ian Byrne, Josh Ayton.

Subs (used): Luca Taheny, Cian Walsh, Alex Fox, Gearoid O’Donnell.