City of Derry Rugby Club recorded a runaway victory when they scored eleven trys in a sparkling display of total fifteen man rugby against a poor Midleton team at Judges Road on Saturday. This win keeps Derry in fourth position in the table and it puts the nail in the coffin of Midleton and virtually dooms them to relegation from All Ireland League Division 2A along with De La Salle Palmerston.
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This fantastic victory for the Judges Road men was the culmination of a five year journey that started on the same Saturday in 2008 down in Waterford when City of Derry RFC were relegated from Senior Rugby. The work that this team has done in the interim for the first four years under Head Coach Bevan Lynch, Terry McMaster and Mark Nicholl and now this current season with Mark Nicoll as Head Coach and Ashley Blair as his Assistant has come to fruition. The success achieved with Cups and League Titles won has been a testament to the commitment of the Coaches, Players, Team Management and Committee of the Club.
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The current group of players have threatened for a period of time to put some team to the sword and unfortunately on Saturday last, Midleton were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Midleton travelled North on Friday afternoon to prepare for this important game in their fight against relegation and stayed in Letterkenny. The referee blew the final whistle at a quarter to four on Saturday afternoon ten minutes early and the Corkmen wished they were as far away from Derry that they would have walked 300 miles to be on the Banks of their own Lovely Lee to get away form the biggest beating they have ever taken as a team. It was definitely a long journey home.
The weather was perfect for rugby on Saturday with a strong wind blowing straight down the field from the Limavady Road end. The mindset was right from Derry at the off and the cry was not going to be Revenge for Skibbereen but pay back time for the manner of their defeat in Midleton last season when Peter Henderson received a bad facial injury. Midleton started with all guns blazing and were 7pts up after two minutes when they won a line out 20 meters out and drove the ball infield where their scrum half Bryan Morris nipped in for a try under the posts and Jeff Hitchmough converted.
Derry missed a penalty on six minutes but were back in the game three minutes later. Chris Cooper won a line out 15 meters form the Midleton line and scrum half Simon Logue found Richard McCarter in midfield. He worked a switch move with his Captain David Funston who beat two players to touch down for an unconverted try and Derry were 5pts to 7pts down. Derry were in the lead after thirteen minutes, they won a scrum on their own 22 and Logue found Peter Henderson who with a side step and show saw the field open up in front of him as he ran 80 meters to score a special try and with McCarter converting it wiped bad memories of last season away for Henderson as Derry were in front by 12pts to 7pts.
Richard McCarter kicked another penalty on twenty minutes and David Funston with some inspired tackling pressurised Midleton into giving away a scrum on the half way line. Stephen Ferguson picked up at No 8 and drove forward before finding Richard McCarter who beat three men to touch down for a try which he converted himself and a 22pts to 7pts lead for the home team. Derry had the four try bonus point in the bag after thirty three minutes when Richard Baird made a bulldozing run down the right wing and passed to Chris Barber who nonchalantly jogged in form 30 meters to touch down and McCarter converted for a 29pts to 7pts lead.
The Derry front row of Stephen Jefferson, Sam McAuley and Paul McFeely were dominating at scrum time and with Chris Cooper and David Houston winning everything at the line outs quality possession was assured. Stephen Corr, Richard Baird and Stephen Ferguson dominated the breakdown to give Simon Logue and Richard McCarter quality ball. Derry finished the scoring in the first half when Peter Henderson found Stephen Corr to touch down for an unconverted try and a 34pts to 7pts lead at the break.
Midleton started the second half with a final flourish but there efforts were soon quenched with strong tackling from David Graham and David Funston. Stephen Ferguson made another strong inspirational break from his own 22 on eight minutes that would break the hearts of any team. He passed to winger William McCleery who carried on the break before linking with Richard McCarter on the half way line, McCarter ran in for an unconverted try in the corner and Derry were ahead by 39pts to 7pts.
Richard McCarter was the linchpin for everything that was good about Derry’s play and with his back row dominating he showed what a class player he is. William McCleery got in for another try when he showed power and pace from 40 meters out, McCarter converted and Derry’s lead was 46pts to 7pts. Derry brought on their bench and Gareth Beatty, David Ferguson and Chris Shields pressurised Midleton on the half way line and Richard McCarter intercepted to run 50 meters and score a seven pointer and his third try for a 53pts to 7pts lead with fifteen minutes gone. Ryan Campbell ran a ball out of defence on sixteen minutes and was unluckily sent to the sin bin for a strong hand off and Derry were down to fourteen men.
Jack Caithness had come on for David Graham, Simon Logue went to the wing with Caithness at scrum half. The impact was immediate as Caithness linked with Richard Baird 40 meters out after twenty minutes. The big wing forward showed power and craft to fend off four would be tacklers as he dragged them after him while he touched down for a great individual try and with the conversion Derry’s lead was 60pts to 7pts. Jack Caithness scooted in for another converted try on twenty six minutes and following another break from Henderson two minutes later William McCleery touched down for the final try of the game which was unconverted and victory to Derry by 72pts to 7pts.
This was one of the best team performances seen at Judges Road and Captain David Funston said after the game “it was a great way to finish our last game of the season at home and say thank you to everyone who has supported us all season. We were determined today to defend as if our lives depended on it and we did and everything else flowed for us. We all wish the season could last forever as we are all enjoying ourselves so much and the brand of rugby Mark Nicholl and Ashley Blair are asking us to play suits us just fine. We hope to finish the season in style away to Old Crescent in Limerick in two weeks time and look forward to next season”.
City of Derry Team V Midleton; Steven Jefferson, Sam McCauley, Peter McFeely, David Houston, Chris Cooper, Richard Baird, Stephen Corr, Stephen Ferguson, Simon Logue, Richard McCarter, William McCleery, David Funston, Chris Barber, David Graham, Simon Logue. Replacements; David Ferguson, Chris Shields, Gareth Beatty, Ryan Campbell, Jack Caithness.
