Enniskillen 1st XV 22
Ballymoney 1st XV 0
Enniskillen 1st XV continued their good form on Saturday past with a 22-0 win at home over Ballymoney in a gruelling physical encounter, keeping them in the hunt for league promotion this season. Despite an unpredictable crosswind the conditions were stable enough throughout, but the pitch was feeling the effects of the recent downpour and it was clear this would reduce opportunities for fast, running rugby on the day.
With the energy sapping terrain, the two teams knew the importance of territory and both kickers traded blows in the early period, but with Adam Lendrum’s efforts proving more effective; this combined with Zach Charlton on one wing proving solid under the high ball, and a couple of excellent counter attacks from his counterpart James Ferguson, had Skins winning the early battle and making their way deep into the opposition half. Then, after some good ground made in the narrow channels by the forwards, Lendrum shifted the ball out to Ashley Finlay who drew in the defence and popped inside to hooker Ryan Cathcart supporting in the backline, Cathcart was tackled short of the line but managed a pop up to centre Mattie Maguire in support who showed good strength to finish in the corner.
A lot of the game was played in the middle of the park with both forward packs carrying aggressively but struggling to gain yards on the soft ground. Some good carries from Jamie Johnston and pick and go’s around the fringe of the ruck from David Buchanan made ground but the Ballymoney defence was well organised and turnovers or forced handling errors often stifled the Skins attack.
The difference between the two sides was some more clinical kicks to touch from the boot of Lendrum keeping Ballymoney pinned in their own half, that with Kaine Holden pressuring the opposition line out and winning his own ball meaning Skins had the lion’s share of possession. After a period of sustained pressure inside the Ballymoney 22’ with some good forward carries, Nick Finlay at scrum half saw the defence rushing up and threaded through a finely weighted grubber kick for Alan Wilkinson to dive on and extend the lead, Lendrum’s conversion leaving the score 12-0.
Skins continued in the same vein until the end of the half, making their way once again into the Ballymoney half and building the phases. Ballymoney gave away a penalty at the breakdown under pressure and Enniskillen were happy to take the 3 points and finish the first half with a 15-0 lead.
The second half was a tighter affair and credit to the visitors who refused to be disheartened by the steep deficit. Ballymoney were determined to slow down the Enniskillen attack and tormented the ruck area throughout, requesting some gruelling work from Ricky Lee, Stevie Welsh and Michael Cadden in the back row to maintain possession.
A greater defensive performance was required from Skins in the second half too as the visitors gained more ball in hand, and the home side rose to the task well, organising the defensive line well and quickly smothering any Ballymoney momentum. After forcing a turnover Skins quickly worked their way back up into territory and set up a maul just outside the opposition 5 metre line, breaking down into pick and go’s from the Skins pack. Nick Finlay was just held up with an effort from the back of the ruck that most of his team mates were sure had made the line, but eventually resuming the short range efforts soon afterwards Gavin Warrington cast off defenders to steamroll over the line for the third try.
Skins undoubtedly had the scent of a bonus point try in their nostrils now and quickly set up for the restart to try and build another score. Unfortunately time was not on their side and on the next stoppage the referee blew for full time to end the fixture 22-0.
Coach Norman Richmond was very positive about the whole team display and is glad to see the side maintaining form, as well as fronting up in an aggressive fixture in the lead up to a town’s cup quarter final against stiff opposition this Saturday.
“The momentum remains with this group of players as we look to close the gap on the top 2 teams. The game was played in the spirit that I would’ve expected; Ballymoney a Q1 team last year and on Saturday found themselves placed 3rd from bottom in Q2 came out fighting from the start. They were competitive at the breakdown and punished anyone lying on the ground or if found to be on the wrong side. It was this that Skins needed to reinvigorate themselves as we head into the final stages of the league and season. A good performance throughout the game from Gavin Warrington resulted in a well earned try for the front row to match the early work from hooker Ryan Cathcart to put away Mattie Maguire. Kaine Holden and Davy Buchanan again controlled the game well and Jamie Johnston continued to terrorise the Ballymoney defence. Adam Lendrum continues to impress in his first year of senior rugby and bodes well for the the future of the club. It was great to see Club Captain Alan Wilkinson take on the Ballymoney defence and he carried well throughout the game. All in all a good performance which stands us in good stead for the remainder of the fixtures and a good physical encounter before Ballynahinch in the Towns Cup this Saturday”
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Enniskillen Ladies 27
Malone Ladies 0
Enniskillen Ladies continue their run in the Rosie Stewart and remain unbeaten in the league with a double header victory over Malone Ladies at home on Sunday past.
With the pitch tearing up effortlessly following the weather of previous weeks it was arduous work to get around for both teams and it was a gritty battle between the forward packs with the breakdown playing a crucial role in possession. The back line combination looked very sharp when opportunities presented themselves. Clare Brogan making an appearance at Scrum-Half had a solid game in this new role and showed a great sense of urgency in providing quick ball for Noreen Nethercott at Out-half, this combined with Sarah Teague’s destructive lines from Inside Centre were shattering the Malone defence.
Teague broke the line twice early on off nicely placed passes from Nethercott but lagging support had Skins turned over on both occasions in the Malone half. Powerful carries from Ashling Maguire had the Malone defence on the back foot but again forced offloads and handling errors approaching the red zone ended the Skins attack prematurely. Eventually though Enniskillen wrought their rewards; after some forward carries drew in the defence close to the Malone try line, the ball was sent out the backs where Teague managed a slick offload out of contact to full back Alice Hurst who crossed the line for the first score.
The close quarters battle resumed and the back row of Shauna McMorrow, along with the returning Martina Boyd and Susan Ramsay were pivotal in sustaining pressure at the breakdown. Then a loose ball at the ruck on the half way was kicked through and chased by Sarah Teague; the Malone wing did well to get back but was demolished in the tackle by Teague in her own try zone and fumbled the ball for Clare McMorrow on the chase to touch down, converted by Nethercott to end the first half 12-0.
Skins continued to win the physical battle in the second half with Maguire still carrying well and ably supported by the second row pairing of Aine Stennett and Alana Linden. Another score for the ladies may have been up for grabs here but the back line had a tendency to drift in attack when moving the ball to space and this led to some pressure passes not going to hand. However, Skins refocused their efforts and some opportunistic work from Nethercott on the opposition 5 metre line brought another try after sustained carries from the pack forced a penalty, and the out half crossed the line with a quick tap that caught the defence off guard.
Now well in the ascendency the home side worked their way back into try scoring territory and consistent carries from the forwards scattered the Malone defence and a final effort from Ashling Maguire gained the bonus point try. Malone almost responded with a score when their pacy full back weaved through the Skins defence but was just taken down inside the Enniskillen 22 metre line. After some solid defence the home side regained possession and turned the tables, scrambling back up the field with ball in hand through the forwards and swift hands from the backs. It was Nicola McSherry at outside centre who finished proceedings after a period of pressure in the Malone half, finding space out wide to cross for the fifth and final try. It was a solid performance from Enniskillen who proceed in the Rosie Stewart cup and also return to Malone in the away leg of the league this weekend.
