1XV v Omagh 1XV
Kukri Qualifying 2 Limavady 1XV v Omagh 1XV John Hunter memorial Grounds, Limavady. 15th September 2012
Limavady hosted Omagh in their opening game of the Kukri Qualifying league 2 game this past weekend. The hosts got off to a bad start, and Omagh full back, David Ward, took advantage of the strong wind to slot home a penalty after 2 minutes.
The Accies pressure finally paid off on 20 minutes when Limavady where left short and a two on one left centre Alan Heaney with an easy try in the corner, which Ward was able to convert.
This sprung Limavady into life and hard work from the pack paid off when rewarded with a penalty on the half our mark which was pushed just wide in difficult conditions from fullback Aaron Brolly.
The Roesiders continued to dominate for the remainder of the half and got right back into the game on 39 minutes when the impressive Chris Hunter broke through the defensive line and laid off to centre partner Stuart Hull who in turn threw a great pass to Richard Robinson. Robinson was caught a metre from the line, and Omagh winger Richard McIlwane came in from the side and was sinned binned for his effort.
There was just enough time for Limavady to kick the penalty to touch, which they won and was quickly turned into a maul then recycled, and captain Bryan Hamilton was there to tunnel his way through the Accies defence. Which left the home side 10-5 at the half way stage.
The second half was a slow burner for the opening 20 minutes, but a great counter attack from Omagh full back Ward, gave the County Tyrone men a score they deserved. Ward continued his fine form converting from the touch line.
Limavady showed a great spirit, especially from Ian Campbell, who seemed to take the game by the scruff of the neck with 10 minutes to go. Impressive strength and speed from the hooker led to Hunter again piercing through the Omagh defence, and falling just short of the white wash. Quick ball from the resulting ruck, led to the try by Richard Robinson.
With the wind at their back and heads high, the all blacks would have thought the could go on and get something from the game but it wasn’t to be. A clever switch quick from the restart led to Omagh scrum half Scott Elliot going over in the corner which left the score at 12-24 with only 1 minute on the clock. But the action wasn’t finished, there was still time for Kiwi out half Greg Jordan score on his debut after Accies centre was sinned binned for persistent hands in the ruck. Final Score 17-24
Limavady will be glad to take a losing bonus point out of the game, but will need to up the performance next weekend when they travel to Ballyclare.
2XV v City of Derry 3XV
Junior League Section 4 Limavady 2XV v City of Derry 3XV Judges Road, Derry. 15th September 2012
Limavady 2XV traveled to a windy Judges Road to play a local derby game against City of Derry 3XV – a game that both teams wanted to win in order to push on from their good start to their Junior 4 league campaigns last week.
The Derry men started strong and caught out Limavady after a series of forced errors with a well worked try on 7 minutes which was converted to take a 7 point lead. Limavady responded well by putting good pressure on home side inside their 22 which resulted in a penalty which Ricky Keys missed to the right of the Derry upright.
City of Derry came back at Limavady and after another period of pressure they scored a second try with 13 minutes on the clock which they failed to convert, taking a 12 point lead. Limavady fought back but again found themselves defending their line with Thomas McCauley clearing the ball into touch. Limavady regained the ball from a Derry line out won by Adam Faulkner and the resulting kick put the full back under pressure and against the run of play Limavady scored in the right hand corner after Clive Scott picked up the ball from a tapped penalty and forced himself low over the line. Ricky Keys missed the conversion again to the right of the post and Limavady trailed by 12 points to 5 after around 25 minutes.
More pressure on Limavady drove them back inside their own 22 but Limavady secured possession from a ruck and Thomas McCauley kicked the ball downfield into Derry’s 22 where Johnny King collected the ball and sidestepped a number of defenders before running in to score under the posts. Ricky Keys kicked over the conversion to tie the score at 12 points all with only 5 minutes left in the first half.
Limavady kicked off the second half and immediately Thomas McCauley put pressure on the home side by kicking the ball into touch close to the 5m line. Adam Faulkner again stole the line out ball and from the resulting maul Adam Millar forced his way through the Derry defensive line to score in the left corner. Ricky Keys again missed the conversion, which initially looked set to go over before being caught in the swirling wind.
Both teams contested well against each other and despite a number of handling errors and conceded penalties on both sides City of Derry found themselves within the Limavady 22 for a prolonged period of time. Limavady’s defence held strong but eventually they conceded a penalty, which was slotted between the posts to close the score to just 2 points.
Limavady responded well by putting pressure on Derry deep inside their half resulting in them winning a penalty. Adam Faulkner tapped the ball and handed the ball to Clive Scott who drove in low in the left corner being stopped just short of the line. The Limavady forwards took control and were determined to keep the home side pinned on their line with only a minutes left on the clock. The forwards created a number of good drives towards the line but Derry’s defence held out stopping the Limavady men getting another try in the dying stages of the game to leave the score at 15-17 to the Roesiders.
3XV v Donegal 2XV
Minor League (North) Limavady 3XV v Donegal 2XV John Hunter Memorial Grounds, Limavady. 15th September 2012
Limavady continued their great start to the new campaign with there third win of the season against a tough Donegal side. The all blacks started the brighter, but a great counter attack from the away team gave them an early lead. This sparked some life into Limavady who responded with 3 penalties though the left boot of the indefatigable Alan Steen. The scoring didn’t stop there, and Jonny Loughrey was there to finish from close range under the posts after great work form the pack.
The second half started much like the first with the home side soaking up immense pressure, but fearless defending paid dividends and Donegal weren’t able to come away with any score.
A clever cross field kick from Lucas Brolly, gave a grateful Loughrey his second try of the afternoon, and gave Limavady some much needed breathing space.
A rampant Limavady took advantage of the disheartened Donegal, and this time it was Brolly who scored after some great work from Jason Keys.
The next score was the highlight of the day, with the ball being shipped through a number of players hands and allowed captain Neil Moore to cross the try line for his first of the season. Limavady had one more in them and it was Brolly again, who took a great pass from winger Johnny McKeegan, which gave the home side a commanding 42-15 win.
Limavady will hope to continue there fine form next weekend when they travel to Judges Road to take on City of Derry 4XV.
