Northern Bank Schools' Cup: Round 2

The game kicked off just a few minutes after eleven, after Friends won the toss. Two and a half minutes into the game and it was clear the home side were feeling confident. However both Limavady and Friends got off to a shaky start. The first five minutes of play was bordering on scrappy and it took both sides a period of time to find their feet. Limavady soon picked themselves up, applied good pressure and stole the Friends’ line out. Play was fairly even on both sides however Limavady’s confidence was growing. An unfortunate knock on from Limavady resulted in a penalty for Friends. However some good, strong tackles made by Robin Craig and quick feet from Shane Toner led to a 30 yard break for Limavady. This was followed by a superb kick from Stuart Thompson, which led to a drop by the Friends’ fullback. Nineteen minutes in and the combination of quick hands and accurate footwork, from Limavady, was paying off, as they were playing the corners well. They soon came close to scoring in the corner due to their sustained pressure in the opposition’s 22 and it appeared that Matthew Proctor was held up over the line. However the disappointment was short lived, as a penalty to Limavady and excellent play from Johnny King resulted in the first try of the match. A fantastic conversion was taken by Stuart Thompson, from the side line, to give Limavady a 7 – 0 lead.  After half an hour of play, Friends broke clear and scored underneath the post. However they did not manage to convert it, therefore Limavady remained in the lead. Despite great tackles from Robin Craig, Peter Wilson and Matthew Haslett, Friends were awarded a penalty on Limavady’s 5m line, gaining 3 points. Friends were leading for the first time in the game, 8 – 7.

Limavady weren’t fazed by this and once again we saw swift, speedy play from Shane Toner and Cathal Crouch applied excellent support. The good play continued with Johnny King stealing the ball from Friends’ own line out. Due to hands in the ruck, a penalty was awarded to Limavady and they seized the opportunity to once again take the lead. Stuart Thompson stepped up to the mark, composed as always, and put Limavady back in the lead 10 -8, with another clean kick.                           

Limavady went into the second half, much more confident due to them having taken the lead minutes before the break. Great play followed from Matthew Haslett and Joe O’Hara, resulting in a fantastic try from Shane Toner. Limavady clearly dominated the second half, with Peter Fallows demonstrating fierce tackles and Peter Wilson’s consistent accurate passes proving crucial to the score line. Limavady played well as a team and even though they didn’t take advantage of all their chances, they managed to remain in a comfortable leading position.

As the game drew to a close some super work was seen in the scrum. Limavady’s brilliant drive and strength combined with excellent hand work resulted in Andrew Given speeding over the try line. A superb conversion from Stuart Thompson bumped Limavady’s score up to 22, leaving Limavady with a comfortable lead of 22 – 8. Minutes before the whistle blew, Limavady demonstrated once again their excellent hand and foot work, resulting in a final, fantastic try from Limavady’s captain, Rogan Bell.

TEAM:

15 Cathal Crowch              
14 Joe O’Hara
13 Andrew Given
12 Matthew Haslett
11 Shane Toner
10 Stuart Thompson
9 Peter Wilson
1 Rogan Bell (Captain)
2 Matthew Proctor
3 Philip Moon
4 Robin Craig
5 Matthew Beattie
6 Richard Kitson
7 Peter Fallows
8 Johnny King

Replacements:
16 Chris Donnell
17 Cathair Dixon
18 Andrew Moore
19 James Purcell
20 Nathan Barr
21 Gareth Lavery
22 Allen Robinson

Report by: Claire Lynch