League title secured at Virginia!
Grosvenor travelled to Virginia knowing that victory would secure the Qualifying 3 title. The visitors started in determined fashion and David Burke followed up his penalty with a converted try to make it 10-0 after seven minutes. Grosvenor then stole a Virginia line-out fifteen metres out and drove over, Chris Culbert touching down. 15-0.
After fifteen minutes centre Ryan Stewart took a crash ball on half-way and powered his way through several attempted tackles for a great try. 20-0. From a scrum just inside the Grosvenor half, Jamie Meaklim worked a nice dummy scissors and released Peter McKeown on the left wing who was scragged metres short of the line, but Nicky Koch was on hand to take the off-load and dive over for a great try. 25-0.
After thirty five minutes Grosvenor shunted Virginia off a scrum and quick ball released Jamie Meaklim who darted through a gap and sprinted in from twenty metres out. 30-0. Just before half-time Grosvenor scored a push-over try from a scrum five metres out, Fra Graham getting the final touch. 35-0. Half-time.
Virginia battled hard and never let their heads go down, despite the mounting score against them. Grosvenor got another try from a line-out catch-and-drive to pass the forty point mark. Virginia broke their duck with a fine drop goal but it was a brief respite as Grosvenor added to their score with another try for David Burke after some neat interpassing with Mark Cartmill. Conversion added 47-3.
The best try of the day was then scored by Jamie Meaklim who finished off a sweeping length of the field move. Conversion added 54-3. David Burke then secured his hat-trick with a lovely score in the right hand corner following some neat work by Gareth Montgomery and Michael Bethel. Conversion added 61-3. The final whistle sparked joyous celebrations as Grosvenor secured the league title. Man-of-the-match goes to David Burke for his hat-trick and a personal haul of 24 points.
This victory brought a remarkable league campaign to and end which saw Grosvenor travel to the farther flung corners of Ulster rugby, play an expansive brand of rugby in hail, snow, wind, rain and mud and maintain a 100% record. Full credit to all the players who represented the First XV this year and to the coaching team of Gibbo and Waffle who did a magnificent job of preparing their young charges. Qualifying 2 here we come!
