A cold and windy Telford park played host to an Ulster Qualifying League derby clash between Newry and near neighbours Lurgan last Saturday. Newry started the match playing into a strong breeze and early pressure was rewarded with a penalty converted by Newry outhalf Rhys Botha. Lurgan replied with a wind assisted aerial bombardment which kept the city men pinned in their own 22 for long periods of time. The visitors were eventually rewarded when they split the Newry centre pairing of Marty Cunningham and Paddy Wentworth to score under the posts for a duly converted try. Newry still looked confident as they soaked up everything that Lurgan threw at them until with a half an hour gone on the clock Newry flanker Jackson McEvoy, who had been having a standout game, was harshly red carded for what seemed to be a fair if heavy tackle on his opposite number. Lurgan converted the resulting penalty to take the score to 10-3 in their favour. For the remainder of the first half the remaining Newry 14 rallied to the cause and were rewarded with another Botha penalty to leave the half-time score 10-6 to Lurgan.
The start of the second half saw another Newry penalty narrow the gap to a single point. Newry then lost second row Paul Haughey to a knee injury when he was stretchered off after being stamped on by the Lurgan tight head prop. Down to 13 men Newry stepped it up a gear and produced the score of the match when of a Newry lineout scrum-half John McCabe passed to out-half Botha who appeared to waltz though the entire Lurgan defensive effort for a touch down in the corner. 11-10 to Newry. Disaster then struck when Botha was hit with a late tackle and suffered a ruptured hamstring. Down to 12 men the home team actually extended their lead with a penalty from John McCabe until with 5 minutes remaining Lurgan finally put their extra numbers to good use, bulldozing over for a try and a 15-14 lead going into the dying phases of the match. The home support truly thought that this was game over for Newry but the Newry players still standing had other ideas. With 2 minutes left on the clock and Lurgan pressing for their insurance score Newry full back Andy McGovern sent a Garryowen 70 metres up the pitch and a frantic chase saw Newry win the ball 15 metres out from the Lurgan try line. The ball was quickly fired out to stand-in out half Connor Marshall who popped it up for the on rushing second row Brendan Curran. Man of the match Curran side stepped his way through the first line of defenders as Lurgan’s big forwards rumbled over to plug the gap. Their efforts were in vain as Curran blasted his way through them to touch down under the posts for a try effortlessly converted by Connor Marshall. It was starting to look like the battle of the Alamo as Newry lost yet another player when Sean Farrell had to leave the pitch. In front of a disbelieving audience the remaining Newry men were not home and dry however their defence held firm and when the final whistle went they were ahead 21-15. To say that jubilation was the order of the day is putting it mildly!
Newry XV: 15 A McGovern, 14 D Doyle, 13 P Wentworth, 12 M Cunningham, 11 M McCabe, 10 R Botha, 9 J McCabe, 8 C Marshall, 7 S Farrell, 6 J McEvoy, 5 P Haughey, 4 B Curran, 3 C McNally, 2 C Stewart, 1 C Cole.
