Carrickfergus RFC U15s -63 Lurgan RFC U15s – 0
Picture from a previous game.
At a cold & damp Tom Simms Memorial Park on Saturday morning Carrick U14s posted eleven tries for their eleventh win from eleven league outings to capture the Ulster Elite League title at U15s level.
A clean sweep of the league which saw the team amass a perfect 33 league points from a possible 33 and also a scoring ratio of 480 points for & 38 against.
A gallant under strength Lurgan, victims of the ubiquitous ski trip, felt the full force of a rampant Carrick XV who displayed their many rugby wares to a sizeable appreciative gallery of faithful supporters comprising of family & friends.
Straight from the kickoff Carrick showed their intent of moving the ball through numbers of hands & into space creating passages of fluid rugby. Not that this was to be a hanky ball game with huge carries from Corey Kelly John Stewart & John Turner ripping shreds out of the Lurgan defence.
First to benefit was Jake Gardener who shaking off a recent injury ran strongly to score the first try.
Sam Wallace then rounded off a series of thrusts by forwards & backs playing offloads before setting the platform for Wallace to show & go for the score.
The hard work done by players on the training paddock over recent months was certainly coming into fruition as the backline burst into action with Jake Porter benefiting from a run in score after great lead up work by co-centre Evan Sloan who was growing into the game. Wallace was able to add the points & this score heralded the opening of the floodgates as John Turner charged & crossed followed by a Dylan McDowell footrace score. If that had been the sabre & the rapier in action then it was the turn of sweet feet belonging to Conor Cambridge who danced ,twirled & jinked over for a brace of blindside tries with Wallace converting one.
Half time Carrick -41 Lurgan -0
The second half saw coaches Dickson ,McTeggart (out of EO, S mode) & McCord unleash the dogs of war in the shape of a replacements bench hungry for game time & the changes did not disappoint.
Rory Magill Jordan Devenney & Owen Hunter brought dynamic to the pack whilst Andrew Campbell Jamie McCracken Aaron Rea & Jamie Craig formed an entirely new backline. The changes allowed respite for the hardworking James Carson Daniel McBurney & Cody Surgeoner whilst Mike Whitall & Matthew Best switched positions with good effect.
The end result was the same with Carrick taking off where they laid off, Lurgan had no answer to Kelly’s interpretation of the legendry Bill McLarens description of a charging prop forward “He’s like a raging bull with a bad head” & indeed he was.
All this pressure & the relentless running handling & offloading skills of the home team yielded another try for Turner & Porter before Matthew Fisher coming back to the team ran hard for a try involving power pace & a reasonable degree of footwork. Wallace added the bonus points.
No performance would be complete without a significant John Stewart contribution & this game was no exception with a strong burst for the line hampered by two Lurgan defenders allowed the hooker to show presence of mind & strength to force the ball down, Wallace was successful with the conversion.
A fine performance which drew praise from referee Tim Lowry for the disciplined way in which both teams had conducted themselves & the levels of skill & application on show.
The players & coaching staff of Michael ,Jimmy & Glen would like to extend their appreciation to sponsors NK Fencing for their continuing support ,similarly to Barry McMurtry David Cambridge & Johnny Carson for their help with training venues ,to the many local schools who provide the players & finally to parents & supporters for their unwavering loyalty throughout the league campaign.
Next week Carrick who are now first seeds in the league play offs will have a home match against the runners up in League section 2.
For the diary league playoffs in February dates TBC, Cup Round Robin in March & the visit of Northumbrian U15s champions Northern FC also in March.
Carrickfergus U15s Squad
M Best M Whitall E Sloan J Porter (capt)D McDowell S Wallace C Cambridge J Carson J Stewart C Kelly J Turner D McBurney C Surgeoner J Gardener M Fisher R Magill J Devenney O Hunter A Campbell J McCracken A Rea J Craig
