CRFC U17s Stand Fast
Virginia RFC U17s – 5 Carrickfergus RFC U17s – 31
Carrickfergus RFC made the long & ultimately time consuming journey to Virginia on Saturday morning for an away league match. Shorn of several regulars through injury and a laissez faire attitude from others Carrick were dealt another cruel blow pre match when James Carson rolled his ankle very badly. Virginia as always sportsmanlike in the spirit of rugby agreed to 13 Vs 13 and uncontested scrums as the referee considered safety issues to be paramount. Hostilities arrived minutes into the game in the shape of Andy Campbell being pole axed with a high tackle on the left closely followed by a clenched fist to the face.
It was apparent that Virginia had been imbued not only with a win at all costs attitude but with a win at any cost remit as long as it involved physically intimidating & verbally abusing their opponents. Sam Wallace was next to be clothes lined by a high late tackle off the ball which lifted the player of his feet & requiring first aid for several minutes. The offending Virginia player went to the bin for seven minutes for what was clearly an ultimate sanction offence.
This type of home defence continued throughout but there was some rugby played and it was of the sparkling variety & all supplied by Carrick. With the forwards supplying a raft of go forward ball Matt Fisher had an armchair ride at scrum half allowing Wallace to pull the strings at ten. Having camped on the home 22 Carrick stayed patient, content to build for the strike. From quick controlled ruck ball Callum Wilson hit a great line at pace & scored without molestation, Wallace added the conversion. Minutes later & Carrick were in exactly the same position & once again after a careful build up Wilson repeated the dose with Wallace again obliging with the points. At this stage Carrick were playing with a courageous conviction that belied their years and when the Carrick captain John Stewart scored out on the right before half time the score line of 19 points to nil was a reflection of the visitors work rate & team ethic.
The second half resumed with Carrick still in territorial command & with great chasing they kept Virginia pinned back. A chase & close down tackle by Campbell typified the effort of the visitors & on gaining another foothold Jake porter scored wide out on the left. At this stage Virginia looked a spent force & unfortunately resorted to type with further roughhouse tactics. Carrick replied in the proper fashion with a solo barnstorming run from Stewart which took play from halfway to the Virginia try line. Although not managing to score Stewart got his try two minutes later after another build from scrums & close range rucks, Wallace converted. Virginia scored a meaningless late consolation try. A tremendous performance from Carrick with several unsung heroes in the shape of Andy Campbell & Matt Best in the backs whilst up front Ian Kerr Corey Kelly & John Turner supplied the grunt which freed up Neil Beggs & Jake(don’t kick it) Gardner for important carries.
Training 7pm wed night as usual.
Carrick U15s victorious in Virginia
Having watched the first 30 minutes of the U17s fixture, Carrickfergus U15s were under no illusions as to the enormity of the task they faced against Virginia in Co. Cavan. The pre match warm up saw the young Carrick side become fully focused and committed to accepting nothing less than a victory in this fixture. The game frustratingly was held up because of the home sides’ inability to provide a referee for the start of the game. Eventually the game did kick off with Carrick starting in a determined mood led by the rejuvenated and inspirational captain Gareth Hartley.
Carrick dominated the early passages of play and outmuscled the home side in both the contact area and set pieces. The front row of Robinson, Justin, and McMurtry were putting the opposition under immense pressure at scrum time and took several balls against the feed. In the backs outhalf Sam Gorman was having his best game of the season tactically, kicking the travelling side into good field positions. Eventually the Carrick pressure told when after several carries from the Carrick pack, centre Tyler Arnold handed off in opposite number and outpaced the covering defence to score in the corner. Sam Gorman narrowly missed the conversion. This spurred the home side into action pinning Carrick into their own 22 with some astute tactical kicking from their flyhalf. Following a very dubious refereeing decision Virginia were awarded a penalty close the corner and the resulting illegal “ flying wedge” allowed the home side to score in the corner. Carrick were not fazed and replied with a well taken try from their flying winger Connor Gascoigne, converted by Sam Gorman.
Half time score: Virginia 5 Carrick 12.
The second half saw Carrick continue to dominate the contact phases of the game with their back row team of Devenney, McCleery and Hartley being prominent in the loose. The centre partnership of Arnold and Sloan were also becoming more and more influential repelling the home side attack and turning over a number of balls. The next score sealed the game for Carrick with prop Sam McMurtry crashing over the home side try line from a planed penalty set piece move. Again in for kicker Sam Gorman added the conversion. To their credit Virginia never through in the towel and came back with an unconverted try of their own to make the score 19-10. Carrick however had the final say when after no less than 10 phases of play No 8 Jordan Devenney burrowed his way over for a superb team try converted by Sam Gorman.
An immense performance from this young Carrick side. Team manager Barry McMurtry moved to tears was an indication of how much this victory meant. Well done to the whole squad of travelling players and the coaching staff.
Final score: Virginia U15s 10 Carrick U15s 26
Valiant U13s lose out to Virginia
Carrick U13s made the long trip to Virginia, where conditions were somewhat mixed. Sunshine beating down with a clear sky, however, pitch conditions were not so great. With Carrick U13s making a short journey down the road from the clubhouse to their pitch, they had not lost focus, desire and aggression they have shown in recent weeks. However, not knowing too much about their opponents, it would be a test for the young Carrick side no doubt.
Virginia started the match with a long kick-off into Carrick’s 22 where the ever present and influential captain, Kyle Bell carried straight back and made good yardage down field. Carrick were immediately under pressure, but withstood the wave of attack Virginia had to offer. When Carrick got hands on the ball, they looked dangerous! Thomas Alexander had a few sniping runs, Jack Cooper punched up well in the midfield and Carrick forwards were immense in the tackling area. However, the pressure told when Virginia No.8 made the first break through. Virginia made use of their ‘Gaelic’ knowledge and fitness, kicking in behind the Carrick defence, and Daniel Curley cleaned up well, beating defenders and impressively kicking out of hand. A number of incidents had gone undetected by the referee, and Virginia added a further 17 points to their tally before half-time.
Half-time: Virginia 22 Carrick 0
Carrick regrouped and words of wisdom from the Carrick coaches rallied the young Carrick players. Carrick had the upper hand for the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half, with Ciaran Wilson making a scintillating run and being tackled into touch. It was Thomas Alexander’s turn to make his trademark run, only to be hurled into touch also. Carrick forwards carried ball well and support play was good, however, Virginia turned over ball and was their turn to attack. Carrick’s defence was strong, most noticeably Cameron Newell and Jack Cooper were everywhere. Carrick held their opponents for a lengthy period of time, but the pressure was a bit too much and conceded two further tries. Carrick coaches made changes to the team to give everyone a run out, especially debutants Sam Hogsett and Joel McNice. Carrick looked more threatening at this stage and with only 7 minutes to go, the referee decided to cut the game short after a number of complaints were made by the Carrick coaches in relation to the health and safety of the Carrick players, to leave the final score 32-0.
This was a valiant effort from the young Carrick team, with their commitment, desire, spirit, fight and bravery never in question. The Carrick coaches couldn’t be more proud of their efforts, from players 1-19 showing true determination and courage.
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U13s Squad: Niall Brennan, Nathan McErlean, Reece Malcolmson, Cameron MacClean, Chris Aicken, Ethan Corry, Cameron Newell, Kyle Bell, Iain Dick, Rhys Willis, Adam Ogilby, Ryan Lyttle, Thomas Alexander, Jack Cooper, Ciaran Wilson, Denver Keenan, Daniel Curley, Sam Hogsett and Joel McNice.
