Dublin U14 & U16 Leinster Championship Update
Leinster set Saturday 14th March for the first round of the Juvenile Championship and Dublin drew Meath at both Under 14 and Under 16 levels. So the girls in Blue headed off to Ashbourne on what started out to be a very windy day in the Royal County.
The Under 14s took the pitch first and not too long after the 1.45pm throw-in Dublin had 2 points on the board. This was followed by a goal. Meath replied with a goal of their own and then the half was played almost entirely in front of the Meath Goal. At one stage their were 29 players inside the Meath 45m line with only the Dublin keeper maintaining a lonely vigil at the far end of the pitch. When the whistle went Dublin had 3-14 to Meaths only score of the half. With the change around the wind began to play with the home side although proceedings were opened by the Jackies with another goal in the 3rd minute. The kick-out went Meaths way and they replied with one of their own. Meath picked up on the kick-out again and slotted another one in within the minute. Meath were getting back into the game. The Dubs meanwhile had a couple of runs up the park but these came to nothing. Meath levelled the goal tally at 4 a-piece in the 9th minute and the game was on. We had to wait until the 15th minute before we notched another point on the scoreboard. Slowly but surely the gap on the half-time score was getting smaller as Meath began to put on the pressure. They were rewarded with two more goals in the 24th and 27th minute. There was only a goal in it at the 30 minute mark with a few minutes to be added for injury. That was when Dublin put another point on the board, only the third score of the half but it was enough to keep the girls ahead at the final whistle. The final tally was Meath 6-6 to Dublin 4-16.
Would the weather dominate play at the Under 16s game? Meath won the toss and played with the wind. An easy goal put the home side on the board at 5mins and the game settled into one of Dublin defending with Meath applying the pressure. Shades of the Under 14 game began to reappear but with the scoreboard being changed in Meaths favour this time round. This wasnt a day for wearing the No 7 shirt as the Dublin girl came off early with an injury. The same had happened in the Under 14 game to the Meath No 7. By the time the whistle was blown the score board looked like the earlier game but it was Meath who had the 3-14 and Dublin the 3 points. Meath opened the account in the second half with a point in the 5th minute. We were expecting a reply from the Jackies who now had the wind but it never came. The girls from the Royal County has another pointed added before Dublin converted a free and got one of their own. Perhaps the wind died down but the second half was a good game with plenty of ebb and flow. It was a low scoring game with only 3 points being made from play from either side. Dublin won the half with two frees converted to add to the 3 scored from play. But the gap didnt ever look like narrowing and the final tally in Meaths favour was 3-17 to the visitors 0-8.
