Ophir start the year in great form
Supported by MCW properties and Biffa, Ophir Firsts had managed to get through the 2013/2014 season so far undefeated in all competitions.
And last Saturday gave them the best possible start to the New Year with another convincing victory. The Mallusk team had defeated Armoy Firsts three times in 2013 in both the Kukri Qualifying League, Section 4, and the Gordon West Cup, so the odds were heavily in Ophir’s favour.
From the Armoy kick off, back row Dave Lucas started a move which took the Ophir pack to the Armoy 5 metre line and second row Paddy McCabe finished off in style, touching down at the corner flag. Full backDavid Walker missed the difficult conversion but no matter; three minutes later, scrum half Karl Davis broke through two tackles to score near the posts and this time Walker made no mistake with the kick. Stung into action, Armoy stormed up the pitch from the restart and were desperately unlucky to put a foot in touch when a try on the wing seemed inevitable. This was end to end stuff – both sides running the ball at high speed, recycling quickly and probing the defences with a combination of brute force and sleight of hand passing. Ophir proved to be marginally better in both aspects, and centre Anthony Davis used his strength to crash over to the left of the posts. David Walker’s conversion put Ophir 19 points in the lead. Immediately Davis was needed again – this time to stop a mighty charge by the Armoy inside centre with a crunching tackle that was almost felt on the touchline. But gradually, Ophir’s superiority in both the forwards and backs wore down Armoy and before half time, both Dave Lucas and number eight Neil Gray crossed the Armoy line to leave Ophir 33 points up at the break.
The second half was a repeat of the first, with Ophir dominating the set pieces and allowing very few chances to Armoy. With only a minute gone, winger Stevie Hastings took the ball over the line on a charge almost inevitably set up by Karl Davis. 7 minutes later, Paddy McCabe grabbed his second try of the match and his second row partner Stuart Henry dived over after a strong run. Seemingly tireless, Armoy stepped up the pace and tested the Ophir defence almost to breaking point. But it was calamity for the spirited North Antrim men as McCabe seized his hat trick and Karl Davis struck again. With David Walker successfully converting all of the second half tries, Ophir won by 68 points to nil – coincidentally, exactly the same score as their previous encounter.
Next Saturday, Ophir are at home again, to face Cavan.
