Best Of Three For Crescent & Christians

The culmination of years’ work tomorrow afternoon, as Crescent College Comprehensive and Christian Brothers College take their place in the Clayton Hotels Munster Schools Junior Cup final for the third year in a row.

Both sides have won a title each in the last two years, with the Limerick side the reigning champions having overcome the Cork side in a replay following an initial tie at Irish Independent Park on the 16th March.

On that day Crescent made the better start and jumped into the lead with a try from Jack Madden in the corner for a 5-0 advantage after four minutes.

Christians managed to lift the siege and winger Karl Waterman got over the Crescent line but was held up, however from the resulting scrum, number 8 Conor O’Sullivan got in for a try which Billy Cain converted to leave CBC 7-5 ahead, a lead they held to half time.

In the second half Crescent Captain John Hurley was off target with a penalty but their efforts were rewarded in the forty eight minute when prop Ronan Gallery touched down and Hurley converted to make it 12-7.

Ben Carew – who had earned Crescent the replay – made sure of victory with an injury time try to give Crescent their seventh title.

This is the second time these two sides will have faced each other in the competition, with the first-round draw pitting the last two seasons’ finalists against each other.

That game, also at Irish Independent Park, saw Crescent recover from a 15 point deficit to draw the game 15-apiece, but the Cork side went through on the first-try rule, scored early on by Ronan O’Sullivan.

That opening half was one of the very few disappointing periods for Crescent in the tournament, who cruised past Bandon in the playoff round, before flying into the semi-final with a 21-5 victory over Rockwell College.

A 19-5 victory over fellow Limerick outfit Castletroy in the semis at the UL 4G saw them into the final, in which a David Russell charge-down sent James McKeogh in to hand Crescent a seven point lead at half-time.

With the wind in the second-half Tony O’Sullivan crossed the line, and then Jack Delaney – having kicked two previous conversions – capitalised on a loose ball from a lineout to cross and complete the scoring.

An altogether more difficult assignment awaited Christians at the penultimate stage, in the shape of local rivals Presentation Brothers College. PBC were coming into the game in fine form themselves, but the ‘visiting’ side drew first blood as despite Pres’ resolute defence, Ronan O’Sullivan eventually prized a gap to touchdown, however Coomber was unable to add the extras.

Christians’ lead always looked tenuous, however, and a clean take from a lineout saw the Mardyke outfit go through the hands, and eventually it was Michael Hand who proved the final touch, before Walsh slotted the tricky conversion.

That two-point advantage would last just three minutes, however, as Pres conceded a penalty just outside their own 22, and Coomber stepped up to make it 8-7. The game was shaping up to be an absolute cracker, and just before half-time the lead was swapped for the fourth time, as Conor Morey got the ball out on the flank and burned around Mark Buckley to try in the corner, Walsh unable to convert the added two.

With nine minutes remaining, Christians put a penalty deep into PBC territory, and having gotten clean ball they began going through the phases; eventually it was Robbie Kelleher who touched down, giving Christians a three-point lead heading into the final stretch.

Again, however, Tommy Crowe’s side couldn’t hold on to the lead, having ironically being pinged for holding on, and Alex Walsh held his nerve with four minutes remaining to leave it 15-apiece with only a few minutes left to play.

The replay a week later saw a less contested effort, as Pres were held scoreless at the same venue by last year’s finalists Chrstians.

25 minutes into the encounter, and they had the lead, as James Moylan – coming in just before the game’s opening to replace Mark O’Connor – sent in Buckley to leap over the line in the corner.

A midfield battle saw little in the way of scoring chances as in the final quarter-hour Christians crossed the line for the second time, Leahy the man to touch down, but it was Buckley again critical, with a beautifully timed floated pass before taking contact to set sub O’Connor to play in the pacey winger.

After such a tight first game, CBC knew they would need a third score to prevent their city rivals from reaching the final stage at both grades this year, but more excellent hands from Christians saw Leahy again spot a gap in the corner, his pace proving too much for the Pres defence as he crossed to make it 15-0 with 10 minutes to go.

Pres could have gotten one back in the 51st minute, as Alex Walsh’s chip saw Jack Kelleher get to the ball, but with the line baying he just couldn’t hold onto a difficult bounce, then Max O’Leary touched down, but his foot had already crossed the touchline.

Crescent College Comprehensive Junior Cup squad to face CBC

1. Ethan O’Sullivan
2. Joshua Skehan Fitzgerald
3. Jamie Cross
4. David Doyle
5. Sean Malone
6. Barry Scott
7. James McKeogh
8. David Rickard
9. Jake Connolly (Capt)
10. Jack Delaney,
11. Dara O’Shea
12. Seamus Hurley
13. Tony O’Sullivan
14. Gary Kelly
15. Colm Quilligan

Replacements from: 16. Dara Spillane, 17. Joe Rickard, 18. Ben O’Sullivan, 19. Aodhan Herbert, 20. Oisin Evans, 21. Luke Burke, 22. Ben Davey, 23. Ben Cosgrove, 24. Eoghan Cantillon Mann, 25. David Hickey.

Christian Brothers College Junior Cup squad to face Crescent

1. Alex O’Regan
2. Sean Rall
3. Mark Donnelly ( V Captain )
4. Robbie Kelleher
5. Mark McCarthy
6. Finn MacFhlannchadha
7. Ronan O’Sullivan
8. Conor Lavin
9. Mark O’Connor
10. Cian Whooley
11. Aaron Leahy
12. Leo Daly
13. Harry O’Riordan ( Captain )
14. Mark Buckley
15. George Coomber

Replacements from: 16. Robert Horgan, 17. David Shanahan, 18. Brian O’Donnell, 19. Patrick McBarron, 20. Bobby Kahn, 21. Andrew Cremin, 22. James Moylan, 23. Jack Ryan, 24. Robbie Shalloe, 25. Patrick O’Hara.

Clayton Hotels Munster Schools Junior Cup final
Crescent College Comprehensive v Christian Brothers College, Irish Independent Park, Wednesday 22nd March, 2pm.