Match Report: Crescent Take The Spoils

Crescent College Comprehensive are through to the Munster Schools Senior Cup final following a 33-12 win over Castletroy College.

Match Report

Courtesy of:- Paul Hurley, Castletory College

What was highly anticipated to be the game of the tournament did not disappoint. A packed East Stand filled with supporters from each side watched two very different halves of fantastic rugby. Castletroy making a late change to their line-up by bringing in Alan Fitzgerald. 

The game got off to a flying start with Comp looking the stronger of the two sides in the opening minutes. Many penalties were exchanged in these opening encounters. Comp nearly ran in for a try after catching Castletroy sleeping but Trojan centre, Ronan McDonnell raced back and stripped the ball from the Comp man just short of the line. 

Castletroy were able to escape Comp's pressure unscathed and began to pile on their own pressure. A late hit from Fintan Coleman (Comp) on Shane Hogan (Castletroy) resulted in a yellow card for the second row. Castletroy capitalised on Comp's less numbers by piling over the tryline with Castletroy scrumhalf Stephen Atkinson getting the score. Jamie Heuston converted to make the score 0-7.

Castletroy continued to take advantage and earned a penalty which they kicked to the five metre line. After failing on their first attempt to score from the lineout, Castletroy did an excellently worked lineout which Conor Myers was able to score in the corner. 

Half time came and it was hard to see how Comp were gonna pull it back after falling to a 12 point deficit. 
Comp came out roaring in the second half and were able to get a try under the posts to bring Comp within one try. Almost immediately from kickoff, Comp broke the line and ran in for an easy try which was also converted. 14-12.

Castletroy became very tired and didn't seem up for it in the second half. It showed when Comp ran in for a third try after Castletroy gifted a try to Comp winger Conor Philips who dived over in the corner. 

Castletroy had given up by Comp's next try which was under the posts before Billy O'Hora finished off the Comp onslaught by scoring under the posts from some bad Castletroy tackling. Game finished 33-12 to Comp.

Comp go on to the final to face CBC and will be looking for revenge after they were defeated in the first round.

Match Report courtesy of:- Jessie Fehily, Crescent College Comprehensive

Crescent College stormed to a comfortable win in the Munster senior cup Semi-final on Thursday against Castletroy after a glorious comeback from 12-0 down at half-time to finish 33-12 in the 70^th minute with some unlikely support from Fine Fail TD candidate Willie O’Dea.

Crescent got off to a good start in the beginning of the match, looking the stronger of the two teams and building pressure in the Castletroy 22 but a break from Tomas Connolly was stopped after the ball was knocked on just inches over the line by a tackle from Alan Fitzgerald to deny Crescent a score in the opening minutes.
Castletroy quickly followed up with a try from Steven Atkinson converted by Jamie Heuston putting them 7-0 up. Things went from bad to worse after a late tackle from second row Fintan Coleman resulted in him being sin-binned, condemning Crescent to fourteen men. Castletroy capitalised on this after a quick lineout was neatly taken resulting in another try putting them 12-0 up before the half-time whistle.

The second half started with solid play from Castletroy but the underdogs couldn’t hold out after a try was scored by Peter Hickey was converted by Daniel Hurley which served to boost morale among the Crescent team and support. A second converted try quickly followed from kicker Daniel Hurley put Crescent in the lead for the first time with 14-12 on the scoreboard.

Castletroy began to tire and a display of pace and footwork saw Conor Phillips touch down a try in the corner raising the score to 19-12. A break from Niall Mulcahy quickly followed and saw Bailey Faloon touch down under the post with Daniel Hurley added the extras to take a convincing 26-12 lead. A final try was then scored by Billy O’Hora and converted to cement Crescent’s place in the cup final which takes place on Sunday the 13^th of March in Musgrave park, Cork.