Club Notes: Week Ending 04.12.16

This week’s Club Notes come from Thurles, Newcastle West and Cobh Pirates.

Thurles RFC Notes

Munster Junior League: Charleville RFC 13-17 Thurles RFC
The Thurles First XV returned to League action last Sunday following a break for the Cup Competitions and the Irish International Games, as they travelled to Cork to take on Charleville in Round 6 in the Munster Junior League. Thurles travelled with confidence following a run of good results of late but they knew they were going to have a battle on their hands against a Charleville side who have yet to win game but had earned 4 losing bonus points out of 5 games prior to this fixture. As the game got underway, it was Charleville that started brightest, dominating the opening proceedings as Thurles seemed to be still in their cars after the journey down.

The home side were rewarded for their early pressure as they crossed the line following some uncharacteristically poor tackling from the Thurles defence, the convert was added for the maximum, 7-0. This early try seemed to kick start Thurles into action and before the end of the opening quarter they were level, a move started by a turnover from the excellent Mark Cummins saw Thurles motor their way down the field, Shane Moloney & Eoghan O’Dwyer combined well in the centre to set the platform for their attack, Scrum Half Nicky Irwin switched play down the blindside where he found Number 8 Ciaran Ryan who crashed over in the left corner, John Lillis stepped up on his return from injury and slotted the conversion excellently over the black spot for the full complement and bring Thurles level, 7-7.

Thurles continued to put the pressure on the home side, with the backs looking dangerous every time they got the ball in hand with wingers Peter Coman and Adrian Bourke having the upper hand on their opposite numbers. On two separate occasions leading up to half time, Thurles looked to be on their way to tries number 2 and 3 but for the referee to call back play for a couple of dubious decisions against Thurles, much to the relief of Charleville, as you felt a Thurles try at this stage would have opened the flood gates. As the half neared an end, Charleville seemed to get a new lease of life following their get out of jail cards and with one of the last plays of the game, the home side slotted over a penalty in front of the posts following a high tackle from a Thurles player just outside the 22. The sides went in 10-7 at half time.

The opening 20 minutes of the second half was a scrappy affair with a lot of handling errors and scrums, both defences were as stubborn as each other as play progressed with both sides refusing to give an inch. Thurles were eventually the ones to land the first blow in the second half as Ger McCormack and Luke Kelly powered their way up the left touchline to bring the Tipp men within touching distance of the 22, following some great play from the pack, the ball went wide, a high, around the neck challenge from a Charleville player saw Thurles awarded a penalty, which Lillis slotted over to bring Thurles level once again, 10-10. The Thurles revival and equal scoreboard didn’t last long, Charleville battled hard from the restart and despite Mark Cummins securing possession, one of the Thurles support players lost their footing while trying to protect the ball and the referee awarded a penalty for going of their feet. The Charleville place kicker slotted over the kick from almost in front of the posts to reclaim the lead with just over 10 minutes remaining on the clock.

The restart from Thurles was sliced and went straight to touch, seemingly giving the advantage to the home side with the scrum. With the tanks nearly empty, a superb scrum from McCormack, Dave Kelly & Michael Ely saw Thurles earn a free kick, Irwin tapped and off he went, bringing play well inside the Charleville half, Thurles were patient in attack with the forwards making good yards on the ground, with Shane McHugh & Paddy Phelan controlling proceedings in tight. As play progressed inside the Charleville 22, Irwin sent the ball out to his half-back partner Aidan Dwyer, who made light work of the would-be tacklers and raced in under the posts to make the conversion attempt easier, as Lillis was receiving treatment, Dwyer added the extras himself to make it a 2 score game with only minutes remaining, 13-17.

Thurles finished the stronger and saw out the game to earn a valuable 4 points in the race for promotion. Thurles had chances from placed balls in both the first half and late in the second half which would have put a flattering gloss to the scoreboard but credit to the home side they were full credit for their losing bonus point but their failure to create chances in attack cost them as Thurles looked dangerous anytime they set off in open field.

Thurles have a full schedule of games leading up to the Christmas break in 3 separate Competitions, first up is 6th place Crosshaven at home this coming Sunday in the League 2.30pm kick-off, the following Sunday (11th December) see’s us at home to Waterpark in the Semi Final of the Munster Junior Plate with a 2pm kick-off and the following weekend (18th December), we travel to Waterford City for our first round of games in the Munster Junior Cup which is our last fixture of 2016.

All support would be greatly appreciated by the players & management for these important fixtures. Training continues on Wednesday & Friday Nights at 7.30pm sharp for both First and Seconds players. Thurles Scorers: Ciaran Ryan (1 Try), Aidan Dwyer (1 Try & 1 Conversion) & John Lillis (1 Conversion & 1 Penalty). Thurles Starting XV vs Charleville: 1. Ger McCormack 2. Dave Kelly 3. Michael Ely 4. Shane McHugh 5. Luke Kelly 6. Mark Cummins 7. Paddy Phelan 8. Ciaran Ryan 9. Nicky Irwin 10. Aidan Dwyer 11. Peter Coman 12. Shane Moloney 13. Eoghan O’Dwyer (c) 14. Adrian Bourke 15. John Lillis Subs Used: Shane Nugent, Tommy Connolly & Joey Kelly.

Munster Women’s Development League: Shannon v Thurles
Thurles Women's 1st XV were away to old rivals Shannon RFC on Sunday morning last. Weather conditions were mild and the pitch was in good condition. In the opening quarter Thurles had a shaky start, spending the majority of this time in the Shannon half, however the Limerick side were unable to capitalise. In the 25th minute Thurles were awarded a penalty which was converted by Megan Callanan. With great defending from the back line and hard hits from Niamh Coman and Aisling O'Hagan Thurles went in at half time with a 0-3 lead. Thurles re-grouped at half time and appeared once again to dominate the majority of possession in the Shannon half. Linda Ryan, Ciara Dwyer and Maria Woodlock carried well but Thurles were unable to put points on the board. Jane Ryan was introduced with 20 minutes to go, this was her debut game at senior level and it quickly became very clear that she would be a great asset to the team in the coming season. In the closing stages of the game Thurles's discipline began to deteriorate with a number of penalties awarded to the home side.

The Shannon 10’s use with the boot punished the Thurles indiscipline and gradually the Limerick “Ladies” made their way into the Thurles half. After strongly defending several phases the cracks in the Thurles defence began to appear and Shannon scored a try in the far left hand corner in the dying minutes of the game. Leaving the final result 3-5 to Shannon. Thurles women RFC remain top of the table with two very competitive games left to play. Thurles will build on this defeat and hit the ground running once again in January for their game against Richmond RFC.

Training for Thurles is every Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 to 9 with new players always welcome U18 Girls Thurles v Highfield / Mitchelstown The Thurles U18 Girls travelled to North Cork on Saturday to take part in a developmental blitz day with girls from Mallow, Mitchelstown and Highfield all involved. This was the first game for many of the players involved and was designed to give valuable game time to new, and experienced players alike. Conditions at Mallow RFC were ideal for rugby, and the game kicked off at 12 noon with Thurles , who had 3 guest players facing a strong looking Mitchelstown / Highfield combo side The visitors were first to score with a well worked move from the base of a ruck with Holly O Dwyer scoring under the posts in the first of her 4 tries on the day. The home side replied with a strong run through the centre with their very impressive No * slicing through the Thurles defence to level up the scoreboard. The game was nip and tuck for the next 20 minutes or so with Thurles scoring once more from a catch and drive from Rachel Ryan’s throw in at a line-out inside the opposition 22. Kate O Dwyer was in fine form on the day and was rewarded with a try in the corner after fending off 2 would be defenders.

The game really opened up for Thurles in the second half with tries coming from Megan Woodlock, Annabelle Wynn Jones, Melanie Deveraux, Emily Lane,(Mallow RFC) and 3 more from Holly O Dwyer. While the scoreline did not reflect the excellent effort put in by the Cork Girls, in what was a developmental game, it was great to see fine performances from some of the new Thurles Girls such as Cuiara Nyland, Caoimhe Wixted, Niamh Woodlock and Julia Heiden playing in their very first 15 a side rugby game. The Cork Girls were kept scoreless for most of the game, mainly due to the ferocious tackling in the centre by Aoife Flanagan and Melanie O Halloran. The future looks good for this young team who never looked like it was their first game in quite a while. A special mention for our only U15 player available to travel on Saturday, Ciara Scanlon, who slotted in at centre for Mallow in their game against Ballina – Killaloe New training times of 6:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays for U15s and U18s Girls, with new players always welcome.

The Thurles U14 squad.

Newcastle West RFC Notes

Courtesy of Martin O'Sullivan

Munster Junior League Div 1: St Senans 29-32 Newcastle West
A game of 2 halves? More of a game of 3 thirds! Sunday 27th of November will live long in the memory for both St Senans and Newcastle West. Hollywood has written scripts with less drama. After a blistering start Newcastle West raced into a 17-5 lead thanks to tries from the excellent Sean Murphy and Tommy Kelliher with Sean Herlihy adding both conversions and a penalty for good measure, things fell apart slightly.

Sean Murphy was harshly adjudged to have taken out a St Senans player and sent to feel the cold in the sin bin. In that period of 10 minutes St Senans made the proverbial hay scoring 15 unanswered points and adding another 7 to make the score 29-17 to the Clare men heading into the final quarter. This is where the Newcastle West lads showed their character and willingness to put everything into the jersey. Sean Murphy scored his second try of the day with Sean Herlihy again converting to make it 29-24 to the hosts before Niall Kennedy put in the bonus point try to level the scores.

Both sets of supporters would’ve settled for the draw at that point but our boys had different ideas. They built the position for Tommy Kelliher to try the drop goal. Tommy’s barbering skills are sharp and matched only by his accuracy under pressure on fields in Shannon. The ball floated over and the ref raised his arm to signal the winning score. A fantastic finish to a fantastic game and both teams deserve enormous credit for proving such drama and entertainment. We move onto the derby game on Sunday after quite a battle.

Fixture
THE BIG ONE. Our near neighbours, Abbeyfeale travel to Cullinagh on Sunday in the first league meeting between the clubs in many years. Details below.
Sunday December 4th Newcastle West v Abbeyfeale. Munster Junior League Div 1. Cullinagh. Kick off @ 2.30pm

Newcastle West V Abbeyfeale. Some thoughts from club stalwart, Tim Mulcahy
JUDGEMENT DAY
On the 4th of December two county Limerick rugby clubs, both with very proud traditions in the game will do battle in the Munster Junior league. I have been reliably informed that it is nigh on twenty years since the clubs have met in a Munster competition.

The rivalry that has existed is well known and can be charted back to the early days of both clubs. Names such as Herlihy, Normoyle, McCoy, Scanlon, Mulcahy, Cahill, O’Connor, O’Donnell, Madden, Cussen to name but a few are synonymous with the clashes of the 70s,80s and 90s for Newcastle West. The Abbeyfeale club would have a similar history with proud representations from the Roche, Quirke, Prendeville, Murphy and Lane families embedded in their history. When you look at both teams who take the field on December 4th some of those family names will still appear on the team sheet.

I remember a famous kick in the Grove by Newcastle West outhalf Mike “Doggy” Browne to secure a cup victory and the famous Junior Cup game that was played on the hill in the early 80s finished in a draw when most had left expecting an Abbeyfeale victory. Abbeyfeale won the replay in Newcastle West the following Sunday on the day after Tom Mulcahy got married.(a dry wedding for all rugby players).I am sure a lot of old friends will meet next Sunday and reminisce of times past, maybe over a soda or two.

Newcastle West are coached by Ger Earls & Aidan O Halloran from Limerick and to add more spice to the game Abbeyfeale are coached by former Newcastle West player and coach Conor Magner. So, if you want to see rugby played in the true spirit of the game by neighbouring clubs come to Cullinagh next Sunday where the banter, wit, slagging and the memories I’m sure will be there in abundance. Newcastle West RFC welcomes all from near and far to come and join us, we especially welcome all our friends from Abbeyfeale to help us create more memories for an auld scribe

U15 Notes
On Sunday next December 4th, the Newcastle West Junior Team play host to Abbeyfeale in Cullinagh in a local derby in the Munster Junior League Division 1. The under 15's are going on tour this year and are hosting a Fundraising BBQ at the game – come along, eat, enjoy the match and support the club.
Your support is greatly appreciated

Training for all Mini Rugby is each Sunday in Kilelline 10:30 am to 11:30 am. All Girls 7 Boys from U6 to U12 Welcome

Please continue to support all out teams in their Sunday fixtures and remember that memberships are still available from your Coaches or in Kilelline on Sundays. Feel free to call up on Sunday morning for a cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate and browse in our Club shop.

Lotto
Results from Friday 25th November Lotto Draw

Numbers Drawn 2, 8, 11, 17 – NO WINNER

MICHAEL BROWNE C/O MAG MOTORS
RICHARD SHEEHY, NEWCASTLE WEST
SEAMUS MULLANE C/O BRIAN MADDEN
MARIE MULLANE C/O PAT BOURKE
EILEEN O’ DONOVAN C/O BALLINTEMPLE INN
ANN MARIE KELLEHER C/O MARKET BARBER
MICHAEL HARTNETT C/O BALLINTEMPLE INN

Promotors Prize Pat Collins

Next week’s draw will be in The Silver Dollar on Friday 2nd December The jackpot stands at €;8,200.

Cobh Pirates RFC Notes

Cobh Pirates R.F.C. hosted gold medal winners Cobh Tidy towns to The Paddocks recently. The club felt the necessity to recognise the massive effort that went into achieving the gold medal along with the Value Water and Cork South County Awards at the recent regional awards ceremony. Cobh Tidy Towns is a community driven group that strives for excellence through a voluntary work force, which Cobh Pirates can relate to with a juvenile section boasting 400 children going through the hands of the coaching staff weekly from aged 5 to 18. Evident on a daily basis is the great pride in which Cobh Tidy Towns carries out its work, sometimes away from the public eye.

To both honour and commend the achievements Cobh Pirates showcased the logo of Cobh Tidy Towns on the recently acquired jerseys for the under 13 and 14 squads. The jerseys will be sported with great pride by both squads for quite some time to come. In doing so the role models that are the volunteers within Cobh Tidy Towns will be promoted across the province as Cobh Pirates R.F.C. represents the town and community of Cobh.

The jerseys would not have been possible without the sponsors, VitHit, Evros Celtic Kerber and Utterly Oysters to which Cobh Pirates R.F.C. is extremely grateful for their continued and much valued support. Cobh Pirates were proud to acknowledge the accolades by presenting a small token of appreciation to Ruth Ring, chairperson of Cobh Tiday Towns. The club, using its young members, is keen to actively engage in the Newtown/Ballynoe area to follow in the footsteps of Cobh Tidy Towns and do periodic cleaning and tidying to help maintain a clean environment.