1st beat second place CIYMS to finish 3rd in League
Clogher Valley completed their league season with a very good home win over second place CIYMS. Valley were without the experienced James Bates and David Sharkey. The ever versatile Aaron Best deputised at scrum-half and Matthew Turner made his 1stXV debut. It was the visitors who opened the scoring in the tenth minute when the left winger kicked ahead and won the race for the touch down. The touch line conversion was missed. The Valley forwards started to impose themselves with Matthew Robinson and youngsters Richard Primrose and Matthew Keys to the fore. Clive Donaldson jinked his way into the CI 22 and when the ball was recycled, Philip Holme put a grubber kick behind the advancing CI defence and David Speer gathered and scored at the posts. Paul Armstrong’s conversion put Valley into the lead at 7-5.
Keys was causing havoc with his dynamic running, and from a line out in the CI 22, he drove through several tacklers and smuggled the ball to skipper BJ Wilson who drove over for Valley’s second try. Armstrong’s conversion made it 14-5 on the half hour. The CI backs were running everything and when the right winger broke clear young Valley no.8 Michael Treanor made a superb try saving tackle. In another CI attack, Primrose tackled and robbed the ball before breaking 30 metres up the field. A Valley support player went off his feet and CI kicked the penalty to leave the score at 14-8 at half time.
Speer was harshly yellow carded and CI took advantage of the extra man to score an unconverted try in the corner. Keys went off injured and was replaced by under 19 player of the year, Ian Mulligan. This brought the under 19 representation to six. Armstrong kicked a penalty for 20-13. He was also instrumental in Valleys third try when he chased a kick into the CI 22 and tackled the defender. The Valley support drove over the line and William Stafford claimed the try which went unconverted. Stafford nearly scored Valley’s bonus point try but was unable to gather the wickedly bouncing ball.
This result meant that Valley finished third in the league – a highly commendable outcome considering the number of senior players missing for the latter part of the season.
