Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Round Up Saturday 20th September 2014. By Barney McGonigle
There were midweek fixtures played by some schools in the run up to the Age Grade Inter-Provincial fixtures and a full list of school friendly games on Saturday 20th.
The Sullivan Upper was short some nine players when the team made the short journey to Bangor on Wednesday 17th where they played their close rivals, Bangor Grammar School.
The Holywood boys maintained their winning start top the season when they came away with an impressive 47-14 victory.
They ran in seven tries with Chris Jordan touching down twice and Stephen Brush, Dan Braniff, Lewis Smyth, Jack Cummings and Matt Nesbitt scoring one try each. Callum Jeffrey was accurate with six of the seven conversion kicks. In reply, the Bangor Grammar School team scored two converted tries.
Banbridge Academy maintained their positive start to the season when they hosted the Royal School, Armagh team in a midweek fixture.
The Banbridge team won a closely contested game by 7-0. The Banbridge Academy try came midway through the first half when scrum half, Jay Pinion, took full advantage of good work from Jordan Mount to run in for the try. Daniel McElderry was successful with the conversion. There were no further scores in the course of the first half.
The RS Armagh team raised the intensity of their game in the second half. However, they were met with stern resistance from the Banbridge Academy defence and they were unable to cross the Banbridge Academy whitewash. The home team held on for their deserved 7-0 win with players such as Jay Pinion, Daniel McElderry, Stephen Rompante, Peter Heaney and Shane Honeyford all impressing for the Co Down team.
The Ulster Schools’ U18 team hosted the Munster Schools’ U18 team at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday 20th.
Having defeated Connacht Schools’ and drawn with the much vaunted Leinster Schools’ team, hopes were high that the Ulster Schools’ team could finish their season on a high note against the Munster Schools’ team. There was a good crowd to watch the game and the Ulster team got off to a flying start when Conor Kelly ran in for a try from the kick off following good work from Marcus Rea and Robert Lyttle. Robert Lyttle added the extras to put the Ulster Schools’ team into a 7-0 lead. However, the Munster team displayed great courage and ability to recover from this early setback and went on to win the game by 22-7. Colm Hogan scored a try which was converted by Bill Johnston to draw the scores level at 7-7. The Munster team then took a 10-7 lead when Bill Johnston converted a penalty opportunity to ensure the Munster team was ahead at the interval.
The second half saw the Munster team inflict further damage when Glen Dickinson scored a try which Bill Johnston converted. This 17-7 lead was never really threatened by the Ulster Schools’ team. Indeed, it was the Munster team that finished the stronger when Mark O’Mara scored to an unconverted try to ensure a well-deserved 22-7 win for the Munster Schools’ team.
There was almost a full list of friendly fixtures played by schools on Saturday 20th.
Sullivan Upper had four players unavailable due to representative duty when they travelled to play the Banbridge Academy team who had one player missing due to representative games. The game was the closest game of the day with the Sullivan Upper team returning home with a 19-18 victory. Sullivan had opened up a 12-8 lead by half-time with Lewis Smyth and Stephen Brush touching down for tries, one of which was converted by Callum Jemphrey. The Banbridge Academy points, in the first half, came from a Jonny Cambell try and a Daniel McElderry penalty.
The Banbridge Academy team took control of the game for long periods in the second half. They opened up an 18-12 lead with another penalty from Daniel McElderry and a penalty try conversion from the same player. Sullivan Upper recovered from these setbacks when Lewis Smyth capped a fine performance with his second try of the game. Dillon Gilbert added the conversion to give his team a 19-18 lead going into the last minutes of the game. The Sullivan Upper defence was threatened by Banbridge Academy players with Shane Honeyford and Jonny Campbell leading the way. However, it was not to be for the Banbridge Academy team with the Sullivan Upper team finishing the game as narrow 19-18 winners.
Royal School, Dungannon, Larne Grammar School, Wellington College and Carrickfergus RFC U18’s played out a Tournament scenario with each team playing three twenty minute games.
The RS Dungannon team defeated Wellington College by 14-0. Jim Meng and John Buckley scored one try each with John Buckley adding one conversion.
Against the Larne Grammar School team the RS Dungannon team won by 19-0. Jim Meng, Peter Doran and Jonny Black all scored tries with John Buckley adding two conversions. The foundations for this victory were laid by the performance of the RS Dungannon pack.
The RS Dungannon third game against the Carrickfergus RFC U18 team resulted in a 12-5 victory. The Carrickfergus team took advantage of some complacency in the Dungannon ranks early in the game and the Tyrone team found themselves 5-0 down. This seemed to shock the RS Dungannon team into action and they scored tries through Matthew Stickdale and Thomas Downing. John Buckley added one conversion to ensure the third win of the morning for the Royal School, Dungannon team.
Portora Royal School maintained the impressive early season form when they hosted the Regent House team.
Portora won the game by 13-5 despite being 5-3 down at the break. Adam Lendrum kicked the Portora team into a 3-0 lead when he converted a penalty kick five minutes into the game. Both defences held firm until the last play of the first half when the Regent House scrum half took advantage of a lapse in the Portora RS defence to snipe in for an unconverted try.
Shortly after the restart Adam Lendrum was successful with another penalty to give the Portora RS team a 6-5 lead. Portora RS pressure on the Regent House defence paved the way for Marcus Crawford to score a try. Adam Lendrum was successful with the conversion to ensure a deserved 13-5 win for the Portora Royal School team.
The Royal School, Armagh team hosted the St Gerard’s team from Bray.
They found the Leinster team to be much too strong and lost the game by 34-7.
It was a bad day at the office for the Grosvenor Grammar School team when they hosted a Down High School team that has displayed some good early season form. The Down High School team won the game comfortably by 47-0.
Portadown College hosted Bangor Grammar School in a game the Co Down team won by 31-15.
Cambridge House travelled to Lisburn to play a Friends’ School team that has struggled to gain some consistency in their early season performances.
The Cambridge House team, buoyed by their first win against Strabane Academy, displayed great confidence in their ability and won the game by 15-10. The Cambridge House points came from Aaron Henry and Harry Spiers, both of whom scored tries, with James Bovill adding one conversion as well as a try.
In reply, The Friends’ School team ran in two tries with Ryan Hall scoring both. However, it was a case of much too little, much too late from the Friends’ School team and the Cambridge House team was delighted to record their 15-10 win.
Ballyclare High School and Campbell College met at the Rashee Road venue where they played out a high scoring game that the Campbell College team won by 36-25.
The Campbell College team took an early 7-0 lead with a converted try. Ballyclare High School scored an unconverted try through Jack Black to reduce the deficit to 7-5. Campbell scored a second converted try to take a 14-5 lead. A second Jack Black unconverted try for the Ballyclare team brought them back into the game but the Campbell College team then took a 19-10 lead when they ran in an unconverted. Back came the Ballyclare HS team with a third Jack Black try. Once again, the conversion attempt was unsuccessful but the home team had reduced the deficit to 19-15 at the interval.
The Campbell College team scored two second half converted tries, as well as a penalty. The Ballyclare High School team converted a penalty opportunity and scored a converted try through Owen Kirk to leave the Campbell College team as 36-25 winners of this entertaining game.
In the North West Derby game Foyle and Londonderry College travelled to Limavady Grammar School and won the game by 34-13.
The Foyle College team controlled the game for long periods of time and had opened up a 15-6 lead by the interval. David Jackson touched down twice in the first half with Alex McDonnell adding one conversion as well as a penalty. The Limavady GS team converted two first half penalties.
The second half saw the visitors score three more tries through Robbie House and Killene Thornton, who scored twice. Alex McDonnell converted two of the tries. The Limavady GS managed to score a consolation converted try in the final minutes of the game. Despite this, it was the Foyle and Londonderry College team that celebrated their 34-13 victory at the end of the game.
Rainey Endowed School hosted Dalriada in their annual Arthur Topping Memorial Cup game.
Played in front of a good crowd of supporters the Rainey Endowed team won the game by 16-12. The first half was evenly contested with the home team taking a narrow 13-12 lead in to the break. Rainey scored tries through Anton Lupari and Mark Allingham. Mark Rooney added one penalty. In response, the Dalriada team scored tries through Alan Montgomery and Angus Johnston. Angus was successful with one conversion.
The Rainey Endowed team controlled territory and possession for long periods of the second half but found the Dalriada defence hard to break down. They did manage to score three more points when Mark Rooney was successful with a second penalty kick which ensured the 16-12 victory for the Rainey Endowed team for whom Conor Brennan, Cameron Stewart, Scott Campbell and Year 12 player, Adam Patrick, all played well..
Belfast High School hosted their East Antrim rivals from Carrickfergus Grammar School in a game the High School team won by 17-12.
The Belfast High School team stormed into a 17-0 lead at the interval when they scored three tries, one of which was converted, in the course of the first half.
The Carrickfergus Grammar School team mounted something of a second half revival with Christian Robinson and Fionn McCormack touching down once each in the second period. One try was converted to leave the final score reading 17-12 in favour of the Belfast High School team.
Omagh Academy players were hoping to maintain their positive start to the season when they travelled to play Coleraine Academical Institution.
These hopes were slightly misfounded with home team winning the game by 19-5. Omagh kicked off with a strong wind in their backs which assisted them in controlling possession and territory for long periods of time in the first half. The Coleraine defence was impressive and gave nothing away. The Omagh team missed two penalty opportunities and it was the home team that finished the first half in the ascendancy. Ollie McDowell charged down an attempted clearance kick and won the race for the touchdown in the corner. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful but the Coleraine AI team had a 5-0 lead at the break.
Poor Omagh Academy defence allowed the Coleraine AI team into for two converted tries shortly after the restart. Peter Bonnar scored the first ry with George McKeag blasting over for the second. Calum Smith added the conversions to see his team into a 19-0 lead. The visitors were rewarded for their endeavours when Conor McKeown crashed over for an unconverted try following good work from Stuart Ballentine. This try reduced the arrears to 19-5 and there were no further scores. The Coleraine Academical Institution team, for whom Alistair Corbett, Andrew Wisener and Thomas Lavery impressed, celebrated their hard earned 19-5 victory at the no-side whistle.
