AMNEXDAY sponsored Larne 1st XV entertained Grosvenor 1st XV at the Glynn on Saturday.
The Larne team had a number of changes with Gareth Jamison, Jonny Cole, Mark McIlheron, Stuart Smyth, Aaron Carter and Stephen Marshall all coming in to the side from the side that was defeated by Carrick two weeks previous.
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The game started off at ferocious pace with the Larne men in the ascendancy in early exchanges. The lineout was working well and the ball was being spread wide. The Larne scrum however was under pressure which was the only part of their game that looked as if it was faltering. However, it was the Larne men who were on the score sheet first. Milliken spread the ball wide to Gareth Jamison who hit a beautiful line to carve open the Grosvenor midfield. He passed to a supporting Jonny Cole who offloaded to Mark McIlheron to bull doze over the line for a great team score. Milliken converted.
Credit to Grosvenor they hit back immediately. After a series of scrums in the Larne 22, Larne succumbed to pressure and the ref awarded a penalty try to Grosvenor. The conversionw as slotted. With only 15 minutes on the clock this was when Larne were dealt a blow. Captain McCluggage and outhalf Milliken suffered shoulder injuries in a series of play with both having to be the field of play for the rest of the game. With a numerical disadvantage the Larne men were under serious pressure. It wasn’t long until the Grosvenor made the numbers count with a score in the corner to make the scores 12-7. The Larne men battled hard for the rest of the first half to keep the Grosvenor men at bay.
At the start of the second half Larne took the game to the Belfast men. Gareth Jamison and Mark McIlheron were creating havoc at the breakdown however were harshly penalised at times by the referee much to the displeasure of the home support. Grosvenor scored two scrappy tries in the second half to increase the lead to 24-7. They were reduced to 14 men when their centre was taken off the field with a bad
dislocation of the shoulder. The Larne men were unlucky not to score another try when they were clamped on the Grosvenor line however a knock on allowed the Belfast side to clear their lines.
It was an unfortunate set of circumstances that happened to the Larne men as they came off the field knowing that with a full strength side that game was there for the taking. They have a week off next week and then travel to Omagh the following week for a crucial game.
Many thanks to the pre match meal sponsors of George Knox and Brian Donaldson.
Larne Team J McCluggage Capt , S Smyth, D Thomson, J Cole, M Crampsey, G Jamison, M McIlheron, E Hunter, R Garrett, J Milliken, B Blair, A Carter, S Montgomery, J Hall, S Marshall.
Next weeks fixtures
Larne 2nd XV vs Ballyclare 3rd XV (home)
Larne 3rd XV vs Grosvnor 4th XV (away)
