Bucks Sink Larne Ferry
With your correspondent having partaken of a significant number of corporate ales at the Ulster match on Friday night the recollections of Saturday’s game may be somewhat woolly at best.
Firstly, lets get the facts and figures out of the way. The Bucks triumphed over Larne 3s 73-12, scoring 11 tries with Smut managing to convert 9.
Secondly, Patches and Ross Reid returned to competitive rugby, one after a short lay off and the other after a significant delay. Both coming through the game unscathed.
Third and last, hats off to Larne, who found themselves 54-0 down at half time and managed to rally and finish the 2nd half 19-12 with a much improved offering.
However, I hear you cry, what about the meat of this rugby sandwich. Who scored the tries? Who made the scintillating breaks? Who dominated in the lineouts? Who was the man of the match?
The first half of the game was played in good conditions with many tries scored by a rampant Grosvenor back line who simply outclassed, outflanked and out ran their East Antrim visitors. A Grosvenor pack light on experience was bulked up by the return to the field of former coach Gareth Bronte. Bronte even managed to get his significant frame off the ground on a couple of occasions to win a lineout!
The most notable thing of the first half was that Grosvenor’s erstwhile outhalf Marc Brown seemed to have brought, not only someone elses boots but possibly someone elses feet as during the course of the half not only did he kick all but one conversion but he also managed to find touch with some ranging kicks that seemed to go where he meant them to go!
As the conditions deteriorated so did the quality of the game and the second half was not much to write home about. Larne scored a couple of opportune tries which briefly hinted at a comeback. Smut kicked a penalty into touch, with the ball getting stuck up a tree (luckily Eunan’s boots were not available to be chucked into the tree to recover the ball), Roly and Ally struggled manfully to retreive the ball but ultimately failed and play went on with another ball. 10 minutes later Ally and Roly returned to try to get the ball back but again were having little or no luck, when just as Roly considered scaling the tree Stoopsie decided to inform them that he had in fact got the ball back ages ago.
Grosvenor wrapped up the game with another couple of tries, the final one scored following a searing break from his own half by the outside centre, who having been dragged down a metre short offloaded to the onrushing support for a great try.
Man of the match goes to Marc Brown for managing to pass when he should have and kick when he needed to, possibly for the first time
Dungannon take spoils
Grosvenor travelled to Stevenson Park knowing that a win would give them a vital edge over their Co Tyrone rivals in the race for the league title .
Dungannon started strongly and used their extra bulk up front to dominate things and only determined tackling by the young Grosvenor side kept them out. The Dungannon second row was yellow carded after ten minutes for elbowing a Grosvenor player in the face and Grosvenor were able to rally after the initial onslaught. Play never moved from the Grosvenor half and the visitors found it difficult to get their hands on the ball. After 20 minutes Dungannon eventually breached the Grosvenor line when their big pack rumbled over for a converted try. 7-0. Dungannon added another unconverted try before Grosvenor struck back with a fine solo run by Brendy at outhalf. As Dungannon built up the pressure on the Grosvenor line Pearce Jamison was yellow carded for killing the ball. Dungannon took advantage and added another score just before half-time. 19-7.
Grosvenor were now playing with the wind at their backs and with renewed vigour in their ranks. They added a penalty which was quickly cancelled out by a Dungannon penalty to make it 22-10. Grosvenor began to use their pacy backs where Feidhlam McGivney and John Allen were prominent. From one such movement Feidhlam made a great break out of defence and created a promising a three-on-two overlap but the pass was intercepted by Dungannon who set off up the field creating a platform that led to an unconverted try. 27-10. Grosvenor then made another break out of defence and Dee Montgomery was put away with a clear run to the line but was called back for a forward pass. Shortly after winger John Allen tackled and dispossed his opposite man but as he hared upfield unopposed was called back for an infingement at an earlier scrum. A bit of frustration then crept in to the game but thankfully the referee dismissed a certain indivudual’s multiple eye-gouging claims as the absurd acts of soccer-style gamesmanship they obviously were. Grosvenor never gave up and pushed the Gannon men all the way to the final whistle. Pearce Jamison and Ed Law were prominent up front while Chris Elliot was a constant thorn at scrum-half. Final score 27-10.
A disappointing result for Grosvenor but on the day they were beaten by the better side and congratulations to Dungannon.
