Two out of three ain"t bad for "Hill

BACKBONED by a large contingent of players who were involved in the SFC final last month Summerhill proved too strong for Gaeil Colmcille at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday to win the u-21 FC title for the second time in three years. This win was further evidence that Summerhill are a re-emerging force in Meath football as they re-claimed the Joey McKeown trophy with power-packed display. When it came to the physical confrontations Summerhill, who had 12 players involved from the senior squad, had the edge. They outmuscled their opponents to lay the foundations for a deserved win. Summerhill used their resources well with David Dalton wearing number 14 but he spent the opening half in the half-back, midfield area where he mopped up a lot of ball. In the second-half Dalton was employed in front of the square as Summerhill prepared themselves for an onslaught and he helped to shore up the defence. Apart from a few minutes very early on Summerhill were in front all the way. They looked odds to bag the silverware at the interval when they led 2-5 to 0-3 although they had the help of a strong, icy wind. They took their foot off the gas considerably in the second-half with life made more difficult for them by a gutsy display from Gaeil Colmcille who, supported by the elements pressed forward. However, they lacked the cutting edge in front of goals to make an sufficient impact. Gaeil Colmcille can look back on an encouraging campaign after impressive victories over reigning champions Blackhall Gaels and Donaghmore/Ashbourne in the semi-finals. They just never built up sufficient momentum in this game to suggest they could go on and win. Summerhill"s cause was greatly boosted by two goals in the first-half that were the rewards for some incisive and enterprising play. The first arrived after just five minutes. The towering Conor Gillespie played a long pass to Willie Milner. He off-loaded to Sean Dalton who in turn released Bobby Lyons who fired home from close range. The second goal after 23 minutes was more direct. This time Michael Byrne found Paul Larkin and he stole in behind the stretched defence before neatly slotting to the net. The goals, added to two points from play from David Larkin and Paul Larkin and one from Bobby Lyons, gave Summerhill their considerable interval advantage. It could have been even better for Summerhill if they had displayed more composure in the opening half as they hit seven wides before the intervals. A few more efforts from outfield landed in the grateful arms of Gary McGovern, the Gaeil Colmcille goalkeeper. During the second-half especially Summerhill showed themselves to be adept at soaking up pressure and hitting swiftly and decisively on the counter-attack. Despite efficiently developing this strategy they were unable to get a score from play after the break with their three second-half points coming from frees converted by David Larkin. At midfield Gillespie was a prominent force while Milner proved to be a sturdy presence at centre-half-back making it difficult for the opposition to find a way to goals. Summerhill had a good chance to get a third goal when McGovern lost possession on the way out from goals late in the game. For a second or two the net was empty but David Larkin spooned his shot wide. Gaeil Colmcille started the afternoon well with a pointed free from Brian Hanlon and they caused their opponents problems with Hanlon and Darren Tormey looking dangerous on the wings. The problem for Gaeil Colmcille was that they were unable to finish off promising moves and the minutes were counting down in the first-half when they registered their first score from play, Seanie Curran powering forward to split the posts. Their second point from play again came from Hanlon, this time in the closing stages of the game when the score was no more than a consolation. Cormac Keegan also converted a free for Gaeil Colmcille in the second-half. The fact that only two of the Gaeil Colmcille forwards got on the scoresheet says a lot about how this game unfolded. Martin Barrett and Barry Smith worked hard down the middle to try and stem the tide. There was no stopping Summerhill as they marched to another u-21 crown. SCORERS Summerhill - P Larkin 1-2; D Larkin 0-5, three frees; B Lyons 1-1. Gaeil Colmcille - B Hanlon 0-5, four frees; S Curran 0-1; C Keegan 0-1, free. THE TEAMS Summerhill - P Carton; W Ryan, G O"Neill, C Young; M Gorman, W Millner, C Malone; C Gillespie, M Byrne; D Larkin, P Larkin, C Byrne; B Lyons, D Dalton, S Dalton. Subs - S Husband for C Byrne, D Lyons for Malone, D Larkin for S Dalton, A Lyons for B Lyons. B Hatton for D Larkin. Gaeil Colmcille - G McGovern; P Tormey, S Hanney, E Ryan; B Tormey, B Smith, S Curran; P Ward, B Murray; P Kiernan, M Barrett, S Reilly; D Tormey, C Keegan, B Hanlon. Subs - C McManus for Kiernan, J Murray for Ryan, C Ferguson for Reilly. REFEREE Gerry O"Brien (Wolfe Tones).