BHSFP 8 – 47 Ophir
Fixture: Cup
Date: Saturday 22nd October 2011 KO: 14:30
OPHIR PASS ‘HIGH SCHOOL’ TEST
The MCW Properties/Ballyvesey Recycling sponsored Ophir 1stXV team made the short journey to Greenisland on Saturday keen to continue their recent good run of form in this group stage game of the Gordon West cup.
A howling wind and a large crowd of supporters greeted Ophir for their first vist to BHSFP in 5 years.
Ophir outhalf James Milligan kicked off deep into BHSFP territory, the ball was moved across the pitch and after some great work by the forwards up the short side, veteran flanker Neil Gray barged his way over the line for the games opening try after two minutes. David Walker narrowly missed with the conversion. BHSFP got some points on the board after nine minutes with a penalty when Ophir winger Steven Hastings was adjuged to have deliberately knocked the ball on while attempting to intercept a pass. The restart kick went straight into touch and from the resultant scrum BHSFP moved the ball close to the Ophir goal line. After a series of scrums BHSFP drove over for a try. The conversion was missed.
This served only for Ophir to up the effort level and become dominant. David Walker found a gap in the BHSFP defence and jinked his way over the line. This time he made no mistake with the conversion. Karl Davis gave a cheeky inside pass to David Lucas and the flanker smashed through a despairing tackle to score a great try.
Ophir kept up the intensity which stretched the BHSFP defence and outhalf James Milligan who is in a rich vein of form rounded out the first half with a well taken try.
The conversion was missed.
Half time score 27-8 to Ophir.
Ophir started the second half with the wind at their backs and after some great positional kicking from the half backs moved into the BHSFP 22. Sustained pressure on the BHSFP line saw winger Paul McGreevy skin two defenders to go over in the corner. David Walker calmly slotted over a penalty from 40 metres to make the score 35-8 to Ophir. Heavy rainfall arrived soon after and Ophir were held up over the BHSFP line 3 times. James Milligan again probed the defence and strolled in under the posts. Walker again converted. Scrumhalf Karl Davis went on one of his trademark breaks, turning the BHSFP defence inside out and only a despairing tackle prevented a certain score. Fullback David ‘twinkle toes’ Walker showed some neat footwork to nutmeg the BHSFP defender and fall over the line to score yet another Ophir try. Ophir kept up the pace and only a forward pass denied centre Cillian Rooney a try in the dying seconds of a highly entertaining game.
Final score, Ophir 47 BHSFP 8.
The hard work in training is paying off and coach Ken Campbell challenged his team to improve on this performance in the coming weeks with two tricky away games at Virginia and Ballyshannon.
Thanks to Malcolm Kane & Stewart Henry for touch judge & medical bag duties.
Up the Ophs!
Ophir 20 – 7 Lurgan 2
Fixture: League
Date: Saturday 22nd October 2011 KO: 14:30
OPHIR SECONDS WIN AT THE VALLEY
Ophir’s pitches at the Cottonmount, Mallusk had taken a hammering from the wet weather and a number of home games in a row. So last Saturday they switched to the Valley Leisure Centre to host a visit by Lurgan Seconds in Section 6 of the Junior League.
Ophir kicked off against a strong wind and immediately found themselves under serious pressure from the visitors. Lurgan worked their way up the touchline and the winger broke free. Only a last ditch tackle stopped a certain score but from the ensuing ruck, Lurgan’s out half put in a brilliant chip ahead and beat the sleepy Ophir defence to the touchdown. The conversion was good and the visitors led 7 – 0. But Ophir fought back from the restart – recycling the ball through several phases until full back Andy Finlay latched on to a superb pass at speed and crashed over the line to score near the touchline. Scrum half Alan Davidson narrowly missed the conversion attempt but Ophir were back in the game. Three minutes later Davidson made amends for the missed conversion with an amazing penalty from the opposition 10 metre line. Against the strong wind he kept the ball low and drilled it just over the bar to give the home team a one point lead. For the next 10 minute
s Ophir had to defend strongly as Lurgan fought to regain the lead, but disaster struck for the visitors when their number 8 limped off the field with a bad leg injury, to take no further part in the game. On the stroke of half time Ophir managed to take advantage of the extra man, winning clean ball from a 6th phase of play and allowing centre, Johnny Murphy to scythe through three tackles to touch down near the posts. Unfortunately for Alan Davidson, the ball blew off the kicking tee and he could not take the conversion. At the break, Ophir led 13 – 7.
Heavy and continuous rain greeted the teams at the restart. With the wind behind them in the second half, and a man advantage, Ophir might have been expected to overpower the visitors but it was Lurgan who started well, taking the game to Ophir and dominating territory. For the first 10 to 15 minutes they camped in the Ophir 22, but crucially failed to turn their superiority into points. Ophir fought back, unusually in the circumstances, not using the wind but trying to keep the ball in hand. A number of good breaks from John Condell, Bobby Press and Jonjo O’Neill brought them to the Lurgan 22 and when the ball was slipped to centre Chris Phillips he crashed over close enough to the posts to make Alan Davidson’s conversion reasonably comfortable. Lurgan then suffered a further blow to their morale with the loss of a second player with a head injury. For most of the remainder of the game it was a comedy of errors with turnovers, knocks on, dropped passes and missed k
icks. But Lurgan were tremendous, despite the setback of playing with 13 men; still taking the game to Ophir, who try as they might could not put any more points on the board. Both teams entertained the soaked spectators with their willingness to attack, ball in hand, at every opportunity The final score was sweet revenge for Ophir’s last season home meeting against Lurgan, turning a 13 – 20 defeat into a 20 – 7 victory. Man of the Match was Johnny Murphy who as well as scoring his try, barely missed a tackle all afternoon.
