CRFC YOUTH SECTION WEEKLY RESULTS ROUNDUP.
Date : 14 December 2013
Carrick Under U17s impress against title rivals.
Carrickfergus RFC U17s 29 Armagh RFC U17s 7
Carrick RFC U17s returned to home competitive action against Armagh U17s at Tom Simms Memorial Park on Saturday last.
Although the weather forecast was rather gloomy the home sides performance was such as to light up the already cheery Christmas atmosphere.
Playing into a strong wind the home side had Armagh at sixes & sevens early on with solid drives and good ball retention.
After some initial parrying Carrick burst into action with Andy Campbell streaking down the right wing beating the opposition on the outside before cutting to the posts to oblige Sam Wallaces conversion.
A hardy band of supporters, opposition followers & neutrals alike were then treated to what was potentially the youth rugby try of the season.
A huge wind assisted kick from Armagh allowed them to force a 5 metre scrum on the Carrick 15 metre line.
A John Stewart strike against the head , one of many, allowed Conor Cambridge to feed Wallace going left ,he in turn released Arron Rea who took off up the left wing going first outside then inside to draw the last defender before deftly passing inside to Wallace who ran in unopposed & then converted.
Matthew Fisher making a welcome cameo appearance on his return to rugby added a third try of the half after good lead up work by forwards & backs combining in an impressive offloading passage of play.
Armagh used the wind to advantage again to score a converted try very much against the run of play.
The second have was dictated by rapidly deteriorating conditions and it was credit to both teams that they retained the energy and indeed will to continue in the gale & rain.
Jordan Devenney added a score in his inimitable nimble fashion and was indeed unlucky not to have had two further tries as he intercepted the bar of soap that was now impersonating a rugby ball.
Owen Hunter was last but not least on the scoreboard as he weighed in with a well taken try after shaking off the lethargy of a long and arduous journey to make it to the ground for kick off time.
All in all it was the weather which held sway over rugby and both teams are to be congratulated for their endeavours.
Up front a solid front row of Magill Stewart & McMurtry was complimented by hard running locks McBurney & Dodds, Surgeoner Fisher & Gardner carried out the groundhog duties to a tee setting quality ball for Cambridge & Wallace.
The midfield pairing of Rodgers & Gorman was tight in defence & brought the back three running skills of Campbell Rea & Hunter to try scoring fruition.
A strong squad requires a strong bench & Devenney McCleerey & Justin brought impact to the pack with Smyth & McCord offering fresh legs and warmer hands to the fray in the backs.
Training as usual on Wed night at 7.15pm
At U15s level the home side put up a creditable performance against Armagh u15s who are in contention for league honours having only suffered one defeat so far this season.
The home side chose to play with a strong wind at their backs and used this clear advantage to gain territorial advantage throughout the half. Two well converted tries to one try and a penalty left Carrick going into the break with a narrow lead. In the second period of play Armagh themselves used the strong wind to pin the home side back in their own 22 for long periods. With the young Carrick side tiring Armagh scored two converted tries without reply leaving the final score of 24-14 to Armagh. A gutsy performance from this improving Carrick U15s side who as the season progresses are showing that come the cup in March they may well prove a handful for any opposition.
At U13s level Carrick lost narrowly to last season’s U13s Ulster champions.
Playing into the wind in the first half Carrick came under pressure from the visitors. Strong individual running and a lack of first up tackling allowed Armagh to open the scoring with an unconverted try. Carrick recovered from this early setback and a fine passage of team play released Carrick centre Cairan Wilson up the touchline to score a try for the home team which went unconverted. Armagh again regained the lead from a barnstorming run from their impressive No:8 only for Carrick to reply with a similar try from their own N0:8 Matthew Reith. Half time score 12-10 to Armagh.
In the second half Carrick hoped to play a territorial game using the strong wind to their advantage. However the visitors had other ideas and they dominated ball possession with strong running from their mobile pack of forwards. Armagh pressed home their advantage scoring two more unanswered tries leaving the final score 24-10 to the visitors. This was a disappointing second half display by the young Carrick side who must work hard on improving levels of fitness and physicality if they are to be competitive in their remaining league fixtures and the upcoming Ulster Youth cup.
Next week the Nk Ltd Carrick Youth sides travel to Lurgan for league fixtures.
