Summerhill were more decisive winners of this SFC quarter-final clash at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday than the eight-point margin suggests. 

Summerhilll ……… 1-14
Trim ………………. 2-3

Conor Gillespie’s men registered three times as many scores as Trim managed. But for the number of wides Summerhill chalked up, they might have won by a wider margin. On the plus side Eoghan Frayne scored 1-6 for last year’s runners-up with Barry Dardis chipping in with four points from play. By the 40th minute if was 1-8 to 0-2.

Frayne and Kevin Ryan pointed for Summerhill before Daire Lynch softened the scoreline for Trim. A penalty for the team in red, converted with aplomb by Lynch left the scoreboard reading 1-10 to 1-2 just after the midpoint of the half. Trim were unable to build on that score quickly as Summerhill comforably kept them at bay. Another intervention by the Trim number 11 resulted in his second goal of the game.

That completed Trim’s tally with Summerhill closing in on their semi-final sport with three points on the spin with Frayne (two) and sub Jamie O’Shea registering. The most glaring statistic from the first half was the number of wides. Both sides chalked up more wides than scores with Summerhill the more wasteful. Last year’s runners-up had nine first-half wides while Trim accumulated seven.

It took Barry Dardis just 20 seconds to open the scoring. Summerhill managed just three more scores over the remainder of the half. Aaron Lynch (free) levelled matters in the eighth minute. However, he was off target with a couple of efforts before the break. In the 15th minute, midfielder Rob Bourke converted a mark to put Trim 0-2 to 0-1 in front. Seconds later Summerhill wing-back sent over a great point from the right wing.to tie the scores for the second time.

The second quarter yielded just two score, both to Summerhill’s Eoghan Frayne who sent over a 23rd minute free and a mark three minutes later. That concluded the first -half scoring and left Summerhill 0-4 to 0-2 ahead at half-time. Summerhill put down a major marker on the outcome within minutes of the restart, adding 1-3 without reply within 10 minutes of the resumption.

Trim hurlers await news on James Toher who limped off just before the end

Scorers: 

Summerhill – Eoghan ‘Frayne 1-6 (0-4 fs, 1 45, 0-1 mark); Barry Dardis 0-2; Diarmuid McCabe 0-2; Adam McDonnell 0-2;  Kevin Ryan 0-1; Jamie O’Shea 0-1..

Trim – Daire Lynch 2-2 (1-0 pen, 0-2 fs); Rob Bourke 0-1 (mark).

Summerhill – Sean Muddiman; Iarla Hughes, Ronan Ryan, John Lavelle; Adam McDonnell, Ross Ryan, Padhraig Geraghty; Adam Flanagan, Micheal Byrne; David Larkin, Eoghan Frayne, Kevin Ryan; Conor Lyons, David Dalton, Barry Dardis.

Subs – Conor Frayne for E McDonnell (ht), John Keane for Hughes (49), Jamie O’Shea for Geraghty (51), David Dalton for Dardis (51)

Trim – Peter Farrell; Eoghan Ryan, Jack McGowan, Eoin Sweeney; David Murtagh, James Toher, Declan Dowling; Sean Fitzgerald, Rob Bourke; Ciaran Caulfield, Aaron Lynch, Daire Lynch; Mikey Cole, Alan Douglas, Tom Carmody.

Subs – Mikey Cullen for Cole (ht), Ciaran O’Rourke for Dowling (36), Tadhg Carty for Murtagh (40), Ben Holden for Toher (60 + 3).

Referee – Derek Ryan (Na Fianna)