CRFC U15s -58 City of Derry U15s – 14
At Tom Simms Memorial Park on Friday morning ,in conditions that would have best suited Jacques Cousteau or a Mississippi mud wrestling team Carrick U15s overcame the elements & a quite big City of Derry XV to bank yet another three league points in what was a comprehensive victory.
Although shorn of several regulars through injury & holiday unavailability the squad strength was highlighted with replacements fitting seamlessly into the starting XV. Horses for courses were also the order of the day & with a lot of ball being contested on the ground Jordan Devenney came in to the team to exhibit his groundhog qualities.
Corey Kelly & fellow prop James Carson not only dominated at scrum time but carried well & foraged on the deck.
City of Derry started strongly & pinned Carrick back on their 22 but on their first visit to the Derry red zone Sam Wallace broke strongly on the right for the opening try.
Defensive ring rustiness was then displayed by the home team as they allowed one of the Derry forwards to burst through from 20 metres for a converted try.
This galvanised Carrick into action & in a display of running & handling which would have defeated some senior players on a dry day they proceeded to put Derry on the rack.
Having gained position metres from the Derry line it was time for patience & after several pick & drives it was the rampaging wildebeest that is Corey Kelly who burst over.
A similar dose was delivered by irrepressible hooker John Stewart who crossed next in what was to be a three try man of the match performance. Not to be outdone John Turner,who grows in stature with each game , crashed over after a series of bursts for the line led by fellow lock Daniel McBurney, Sam Wallace after having been very close with some difficult conversions nailed the bonus points.
Perhaps tired of watching the forwards grab the glory Captain Jake Porter had a magnificent outside line break that allowed him to stretch his legs to outpace the Derry cover.
Half time Carrick U15s – 27 City Of Derry U15s – 7
The second half saw a raft of rolling replacements by the home side & the strength of the bench was evidenced when after several strong left wing runs Jamie Craig crossed for a well taken try. Wallace converted.
Carrick returned to the Derry 22 but an unbelievable series of penalties & free kicks, your correspondent lost count at 8, saw Derry land metres from the home line & then score their second try.
Conditions did not improve & it was not an easy day for the backs but Matthew Best Aaron Rea & Mike Whitall showed their skills when getting on the ball.
Cameo roles from Andrew Campbell & Shay McCord did not go unnoticed & uniquely Carrick at one stage had 3 scrum halves on the pitch at the same time. Another young player who was not out of place was Owen Hunter who brought his own dynamic to the game.
Stewart along with Rory Magill, Cody Surgeoner & Rip Van Winkle AKA Jake Gardener carried hard before Stewart scored his second.
Even with the conditions Connor Cambridge continued to provide a cracking service to Sam Wallace who although suffering from the elements showed some fleet of foot movement & top drawer handling skills.
Ian Kerr, Jamie McCracken & Aaron Rea all had a hand in bringing the next score about when they presented clean ball to scrum half Cambridge who with a combination of mud & rain now weighed an extra half stone.
A series of sidesteps & swivels allied to great leg drive & body position allowed the half back to burst through a ruck of players from 15 metres for a well deserved try. Wallace added the conversion.
Illness had threatened to keep Dylan McDowell out of the game but in a cameo 5 minutes he trailed a great outside burst from Kelly who supplied the winger with a deft off load for a try.
With the last play of the game Carrick mounted a final attack & it was that man Stewart once again who capped an all action display with his hat trick try ,Wallace converted.
Watching on was Stephen Hutton from Ulster Rugby’s talent identification & development , he certainly left the ground with lots of food for thought & several notebook entries.
Finally some praise for a gallant but outclassed City of Derry XV; they did not give up & have promised Carrick a much tighter return game at Judges Road,
Full time CRFC U15s -58 City of Derry U15s – 14
A word of thanks to Barry McMurtry , Johnnie Carson & David Cambridge whose benevolence has allowed the CRFC U15s squad to avail of training nights at UUJs 3G pitch.
The luxury of using this facility has been instrumental in the squad being able to hit the ground running after three weeks of no rugby due to the recent inclemency of the weather.
The coaches & squad would like to take this opportunity to thank those gentlemen for their valued support & indeed to also thank NK Fencing for their continued support of youth rugby at CRFC.
