Great cup win for 2nds
Games between the Belmont rivals are always a bit special and this was no exception. Despite this being Grosvenor’s first match in six weeks they started brightly with half-backs Burkey and Carl keeping CI pegged back in their own half with some long probing kicks. Several times CI attempted to run the ball from deep but the Grosvenor backs were up quickly putting pressure on their counterparts and forcing errors. The Grosvenor forwards really took the game to CI with Dbo, Dee and a Cian Healey-eque Andy Kenny all prominent in the early exchanges. After 20 minutes Grosvenor took a deserved lead with a great try by Carl who skipped through the stretched CI defence. Grosvenor then enjoyed a prolonged period of posession in the CI 22 and following a surge by the forwards had two great try scoring opportunities. Unfortunately Glenski was held up over the line and then a glaring overlap was ignored when Jamie White was clear on the wing. But they were not to be denied and Andy Rooney scorched up the left wing to finish off a great handling move. 10.0. CI responded well and worked their way deep in to the Grosvenor 22, forcing a penalty to reduce the deficit. 10-3.
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The second half followed a similar pattern with Grosvenor enjoying much of the play and field position and CI living off scraps of possession. After ten minutes Stevie Marshall initiated an attack on half way with a great run which was taken on by Dbo and Mikey. They were again very unlucky not to score when Carl was put clear, but after running forty metres to the try line he was held up in-goal by a terriffic CI cover tackle. A few minutes later Andy Rooney, who was playing probably the best game of his career, set off on a mazy run out of defence, weaving past would be tacklers and making thirty metres before off-loading with an outrageous ‘cat flap’ reverse pass. This succeeded in creating another long period of pressure deep in CI territory but Simpo was having a rare off day with the boot and Grosvenor could not add to their tally With five minutes to go CI broke out of defence and created an overlap to allow veteran winger Richard Heasley to score a try. 10-8. The conversion was narrowly missed to leave Grosvenor with a slender lead going in to the closing minutes. CI threw caution to the wind and while attempting to run the ball from deep in their own 22 a speculative pass was intercepted by Burkey who dotted down between the posts. Simpo converted to make it 17-8 and a famous cup victory.
Full credit to both sides who served up a very entertaining game, played in fine spirit in difficult conditions.
There were several nominees for man-of-the-match with Burkey, Dbo, Andy Kenny and Carl all in the frame but Andy Rooney gets the nod for a truly outstanding performance in attack and defence.
