There was one postponed Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game played midweek when Dalriada School hosted Limavady Grammar School at a very wet and windy St James’s Road venue on Wednesday afternoon.
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The Limavady Grammar School team, the pre-match favourites, had to work hard before eventually winning the game by 14-7. The home team, playing with the wind in their backs, dominated most of territory and possession in the opening exchanges of the game. Timmy Emmerson kept his team on the front foot with some astute kicking into the opposition half. The Dalriada pack looked comfortable at the set piece and comfortably won their scrums and linesout. The Limavady Grammar School pack was missing their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Prop, Rory Squires, and seemed to be having difficulties in controlling the stronger and more dynamic Dalriada pack in the course of the first half. Midway through the first half the home team, having missed an earlier penalty, took a 7-0 lead when they turned Limavady ball over and moved the ball through their three quarters. The Dalriada scrum half, Matthew Steele was running a trail line and he took an inside pass to score a well-deserved try under the posts. Rory Strang converted the try. The home team made astute use of the conditions for the remainder of the half denying the Limavady team any real advantage in terms of territory ensuring the Limavady Grammar School team turned around at the interval 7-0 in arrears.
The second half saw the Limavady pack raise their game and a plentiful supply of ball was well used by Limavady half backs, Jamie Millar and Michael Barr. These two players constantly drove Dalriada back with inch perfect kicks and, with Limavady winning good line out ball, their pack was able to making good yardage using the driving maul. Ten minutes into the second half the Limavady pack drove forward and recycled the ball for their No 8, Sam Mackey, to drive over the line. Jack McCool struck the difficult conversion well and the score was now tied at 7-7. Limavady were beginning to exert pressure but, to their credit, the Dalriada back line was attempting to move the ball. On at least two occasions half breaks in the midfield almost resulted in Dalriada creating clear try scoring opportunities. From a Limavady scrum, Limavady out half Michael Barr put his centre into space and Jamie Millar launched a long raking kick which right winger, Tom McClelland, fly hacked on. The ball seemed to stick in the mud a matter of inches from the touchline. As the Dalriada defence stopped momentarily, Tom McClelland again fly hacked the ball and gathered it close to the Dalriada line to dive over and touch down for what appeared to be a somewhat controversial try. Again, Jack McCool kicked a difficult conversion and Limavady had a 14-7 lead with just seven minutes left on the clock. Limavady missed the chance to go further ahead when scrum half, Jamie Millar, broke blind from a ruck but chose to go himself when a pass might have put his winger,Tom McClelland in for a try. With three minutes left on the clock, Dalriada mounted a final assault on the Limavady line but, once again, the Limavady Half backs Millar and Barr were up to the task and cleared their lines. The final result was probably deserved but Dalriada can feel unfortunate not to have taken something out of the match having produced a superb performance in difficult conditions.
The Limavady Grammar School team will now travel to play Royal Belfast Academical Institution in the Quarter-Final of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup on Saturday 23rd February.
