It was a wet and windy day at the Glebe last Saturday when BHSFP came to town. With the wind at their back in the first half they began the game in good steed, carrying well through their pack and eking out yards around the ruck before eventually winning a penalty. It took their kicker 3 attempts however in the windy conditions before he slotted a kick giving the visitors a 3-0 lead. After the restart, Letterkenny took control of possession and played smart rugby keeping the ball tight through forward play. Some excellent ground was made by Mark Timoney and Kevin McLaughlin while Conal Sheridan was able to direct the pack well with his accurate passing. Boyd Robinson chose his moments perfectly to release the backs where breaks were being made by Paul ‘hands’ Cassidy.
From a line out, a well worked move saw captain Karl Egan off load to No7 Terrence Gallagher who sauntered under the posts for his first try for the 1st XV…The conversion was good and Letterkenny led 7-3… Shortly after, Robinson slotted another penalty opportunity to extend the lead to 10-3.
Letterkenny’s second try of the game came from a loose BHSFP clearance kick. Fullback Tony ‘Hitch-Kick’ McBride ran the ball back to the middle of the park where it was recycled quickly to let center Michael Turvey make a dash. He shook off 2 tackles before scoring under the posts. Half time saw the home side leading 17-3.
With the wind stronger in the 2nd half and blowing into the faces of the visitors, it forced them to change their play and try to run the ball more often… While they did make breaks and held onto possession for long periods of time, they failed to gain any territory in the Letterkenny 22. Every time Letterkenny got the ball back, they were able to kick right back down to scoring zone through their halfbacks who were working well together.
The third try of the day came from great disrupting at a ruck from Mark Timoney. He managed to get a boot to the ball and kick it toward the try line where the Belfast fullback learned the cruel bounce of a rugby ball, Timoney was on hand to dive over for the score much to the delight of the supporters cowering under the clubhouse balcony. Conversion again slotted by Robinson to take it to 24-3.
Conal Sheridan got the last score of the day after some more great defensive work from Kenny. Terrence Gallagher and Kevin Mclaughlin turned over the ball and forcing a 5m scrum and from the resulting scrum, Sheridan dived over for a well earned score. The Letterkenny backrow dominated the game but all the players deserve credit for the entertaining rugby they produced in the most difficult conditions.
Final result : Letterkenny 29- 3 BHSFP
