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DATE: 20/Mar/03
Result: Corrib 13 Creggs 14
Competition: Connacht Junior League Conference X
Creggs Team: Mike O’Riordain, Nigel Glennon, Alan Glennon, Paul Turley, Joe Heavey, Kieran Egan, Alan Ward, Ciaran Coyne, John Leddy, Noel Flynn, Enda Muldoon, Daniel Keane, Colin Looby, Paul Bradley, Tom Lyons.
Subs Used: Rory Leddy, James McHugh.
Match Report:
Creggs first team were forced to play this re-fixed league match on Thursday night under flood lights in Monivea. This came just three days after competing in the Cawley Cup final. Creggs responded magnificently and in a fierce physical contest they emerged victorious by the slimmest of margins.
The game began with Creggs very much on the offensive. In the 15 minute the hugely impressive John Leddy broke through the Corrib cover. He was stopped but managed to offload to Alan Glennon who showed great strength to force his way over the line to score a fine try. This was converted by outhalf Noel Flynn to leave Creggs 7 points up.
After a half an hour the Creggs forwards who were superb throughout produced a driving maul that brought them forty yards upfield. The ball was moved out and Joe Heavey popped up for a brilliant try under the posts. Again Noel Flynn did the needful to leave the score at Creggs 14 Corrib 0 and it remained this way at half time.
Corrib came out in the second half with all guns blazing. An early penalty left the score Creggs 14 Corrib 3. Then after 20 minutes an injury to Creggs full back Tom Lyons appeared to give Corrib the initiative. The injury was as a result of a high tackle that if it was any higher the tackler would have gone clean over Toms head. A further penalty left the score at 14 points to 6 in favour of Creggs. Huge pressure from Corrib yielded them a try under Creggs posts that was converted to leave the score at Creggs 14 Corrib 13. The celebrations from the Corrib line when the try was scored were testament to how much the game meant to them. Iraqis given a present of George W Bush could not have been happier. However try as they might they could not break down a resilient Creggs defence.
The forwards were all superb but special mention for Ciaran Coyne and Joe Heavey. The backs played well particularly in defence with John Leddy emerging as man of the match with a fantastic aggressive performance at scrum half.
First blood in the game went to Creggs with outhalf Noel Flynn kicking a fine penalty after 10 minutes. The Ballinrobe scrum had their Creggs counterparts under considerable pressure and after 20 minutes they got a push over try. The conversion was missed to leave Ballinrobe 5 points to 3 ahead. Creggs again responded and some good pressure yielded a second penalty from Flynn to put Creggs a point ahead. The score remained at Creggs 6 Ballinrobe 5 at halftime.
An early drop goal gave the Ballinrobe team the initiative in the second half. The Ballinrobe outhalf was as surprised as anyone in the ground to see what has to be described as the ugliest kick in history go over. Then Creggs were hit with a hammer blow when Ballinrobe scored a second try 15 minutes from the end. At this stage the score read Creggs 6 Ballinrobe 13. Injuries to Nigel Glennon, Martin Fallon and John Mulligan disrupted the chances of a Creggs revival and Ballinrobe hung on to win the game.
As stated to ask Creggs to play 3 games of rugby in 6 days was very unfair. Apart from losing yesterday’s game the Creggs first team now find themselves with 6 players carrying injuries with the first round of the junior cup scheduled for next Saturday. One positive from this match was the introduction of young players like Conor Duignan, David Tully and Kevin O’Rourke. They all played very solidly and O’Rourke in particular would look to have a big future.