After the customary handshakes, applause and cheers the team got together for their customary after match debrief, and in a spontaneous show of communal delight, broke into our tune about the doll with shiny eyes. I’ve seldom seen 18 Strabane men so happy, and the lads knew they had given their very best performance in a very important fixture. Every man stood up and was counted. The back 3 caught every high ball in very tricky conditions and robbie pattison had his best ever game, tackling like a Trimble and taking the ball into contact like he was going to go through a brick wall. Rossi, puffin and johnny gilmour put in the sort of displays that will have the firsts players looking nervously over their shoulders and even the seasoned campaigners felt this was something special. It was that good, even Gerry Taylor was pleased.
In the biggest game of the minor league north season so far, the 2’s continued their fine run of form with a convincing win over the league leaders on their own lawn.
Just before kick off the heavens opened and the wind continued to howl, but thankfully the excellent Inishowen pitch stood up well during the game.
Inishowen won the toss and opted to play into the wind and you can imagine the tactics both teams employed. The bigger home pack bulldozed away from the side of rucks, but the Strabane 15 man defence was to be rock solid all day. Inishowen won the first penalty of the game right in front of the post and their kicker duly put them 3 up. Strabane’s backs then started to kick well for the corners, and with the conditions, Inishowen were pinned in their 22 for most of the first half.
Good driving form the pack forced 2 kickable penalties, which out half Simon maxwell struck with his customary aplomb. The homesters did have
a good spell of possession, and continued their pick and go game interspersed with a few lineout mauls. Strabane though were not for giving an inch. The pack continually drove the Inishowen forwards back in the scrums and if an opponent got isolated he was pick pocketed quicker than the artful dodger could have managed in his prime. The backs, not to be outdone were up in defence faster than tommy bowe after an advertising opportunity
The effort put in by murdy, maxi, mowbs and Rossi was much appreciated by the pack. They put the Inishowen backs under severe pressure all day and they couldn’t get decent ball to work with, so it was bound to have been a long afternoon for them.
At turnaround Strabane led 3-6, and in those conditions it was a handy lead, but would it be enough when Inishowen came at us with the wind?
Strabane immediately went on the offensive and were rewarded with another penalty which maxi hit superbly to leave a useful 6 point gap. I don’t know if it was attempted disruption or coincidence, but the
church bells rang during each of his penalty kicks :-0 Perhaps it was a measure of the regularity of our scoring π Not content with this the 2’s charged again and great team continuity led to a searing break by centre Simon Mowbray. He danced through the Inishowen defence and was brought down on the line. The ensuing pile up got there before the ref and he was unable to see the ball grounded and Strabane were awarded a 5m scrum. Mowbs complained he was robbed all the way home and Valerie is still probably listening to him. Another pick and go from the base of the scrum was followed by a series of drives at the line that sliced his clearance kick and we had forced a 5m lineout to us. Smithy was now on for the bloodied stu gamble and his throw to blackie, lifted by johnny gilmour and garry b, going back at 4 was spot on. In text book fashion, bob hit them as he landed, secured the ball, very reluctantly smuggled it back to the supporting player. A flying wedge of these 5, hit by the rampaging puffin and Andy steamrollered over the home line and the try was scored by the man with the knack of getting these crucial 5 pointers; who else but cricky. It was great to see the whole team celebrate the try and all the team came in to pat the scorer and his carriers on their backs. The conversion was narrowly missed and shortly after maxi hit the post with a boomerang like penalty kick, but the try had sealed the game. With minutes remaining Inishowen were awarded a penalty 5m from the Strabane line and their big tighthead barged over from close range, but too little too late and the visitors shut the game down with their own pick and drives and maxi kicked the ball dead to finish the game.
