Carrick win thrilling encounter against Creggs
CARRICK RFC 23-21 CREGGS
On a cold but ideal afternoon for rugby, Carrick's Senior XV secured a hugely impressive and incredibly hard fought victory against a determined Creggs side in this Connacht League Division 1C match at the Castlecarra Road ground on Sunday.
Carrick entered the fixture seeking to make amends for losing their previous league match and coaches Stephen King, Tom McGuinness & Sean McKeon had the Shannonsiders extremely fired up to ensure the local men returned to winning ways.
The platform for victory was laid down by the forward unit, with strong performances from Darrach Patterson, Sean Hynes and Dermot Foley in particular. On five minutes after sustained pressure from the powerful home forward unit Shane McGuinness crashed over to give Carrick a 5-0 lead.
Ruairi King then slotted over a penalty on 15 minutes after an infringement by Creggs and Carrick were now dominating affairs. On 24 minutes, an offensive kick saw the visitors chase and score a converted try to leave the bare minimum between the sides, 8-7.
The moment of the game came on 27 minutes when the ageless Dermot Foley gathered a goal line drop off and evaded four would be tackles to score the try of the season. King added the extras to leave the score at half time 15-7 to the Carrick men.
Following the restart Foley had to leave the pitch after picking up an injury and lost back row Darrach Patterson to a yellow card and then conceded a soft try which left management exasperated, 15-14.
The Carrick-on-Shannon RFC Senior Men’s team that defeated Creggs at the weekend Picture: Mark Kelly
With five minutes left on the clock Carrick's tackling let them down in midfield which allowed Creggs score under the posts to leave just two between the sides. Creggs now had their tails up and secured an attacking lineout on the Carrick 22 but Joaquin Cueto Puente leapt to pinch the lineout for Carrick and with that the game was brought to a conclusion for a highly satisfactory win for the Shannonsiders, 23-21.
Carrick’s management were naturally delighted with the win which sees Carrick return to winning ways.
Team: Jason Carney, Aaron Sharkey, Noel McDermott, John Healy, Dean Flanagan, Ruairi King, Justin Farrell, Ian Cullen, Brendan Flannery, Shane McGuinness, Peter Lavin, Sean Hynes, Dermot Foley, Joaquin Cueto-Puento, Darrach Patterson. Subs: Paul Orr, Gavin Kelly, James Og Maguire, Stephen Guckian, Patrick Charles, Sean Lenehan and Kieran Murray
U16: Carrick U16’s fall just short against Gort RFC
Carrick’s U16 will have huge regrets after letting a 12 point lead slip away against a physical Gort side in this Connacht League match. Carrick started the game with incredible intensity and pace and dominated their opponents in the early exchanges but left a number of tries behind them.
The Carrick-on-Shannon RFC U16 team that lost narrowly to Gort at the weekend
On 23 minutes Tristan Hoey stole a loose ball in midfield and evaded two would-be tacklers to score under the posts. Hoey converted his own try to leave Carrick leading 12-0.
The last play of the half saw a highly controversial decision against Carrick which allowed Gort score to leave the score at half time 12 -7.
In the second half, Carrick failed to continue their first half dominance and gradually allowed their hosts gain a foothold and after some indecisive play inside their own 22, Gort scored from the turn over, which saw them take the lead for the first time in the game.
The game lost its shape and became incredibly contentious which soured what was a highly competitive game with Gort taking the spoils by 14-12. This Carrick team will have to learn to be more decisive in their play and convert their matchplay superiority on the scoreboard.
Team: Cathal Enright, Jake Sharkey O'Donnell, Maxime Gerner, Tristan Hoey, Peter McNiff, Ben O'Connor, Luke Creighton, Andrew Deegan, Alan O'Beirne, Jayden Bosomtwe, Tom Moolick, Alastair Hewson, Alex Newcombe, Bobby Hanrahan, Niall Stenson. Subs: Eoin O'Reilly, Harry Alford, Iarlaith Martin, Reece Hill, Callum O'Rourke and Darren Brennan
U13: Big win in Connemara
Connemara RFC welcomed Carrick on Shannon RFC to picturesque Clifden last Sunday where they scored an impressive 47-7 victory.
The Carrick U13 team who defeated Connemara last Sunday
The first half was a very entertaining battle between both sides, however neither team could build on good territory or possession. On the stroke of halftime though Carrick went over again, Nato Zondagh carried a ball after some good pick-and-goes from the forwards and charged over for his first try for Carrick.
Carrick led 14-0 at halftime and the forwards, now dominant in the scrum, were able to give the platform for the backs to run at Connemara from all angles and it wasn’t long before Carrick doubled their lead. Two quick tries at the start of the second half, finished by Murtagh essentially killed off the game.
However, no Connemara team ever lies down, and to their credit they fought hard and created a few half chances as the half wore on. However, Carrick’s attack proved too strong and struck again with Sam Kieran, Cavan McGourty and Shane Murtagh (all going over in the second half.
Connemara did get a consolation with the last play of the game, going over in the corner. In fairness, Carrick were the better team, but the final score, 47-7, flattered them on the day.
Team: Peter Flynn, Fionn McWeeney, Nato Zondagh, Daragh Beirne, Ryan McElhone, Regan Hoey, Connor Lee, Sam Kieran, Odhran Griffin, Gavin Hewson, Shane Murtagh, Cavan McGourty, Oliwer Koziatek, Luke Maguire, Shane Reynolds, Ben Cronin