Friday Night Club Rugby

There were derby wins for Cork Constitution, Garryowen and Old Crescent in the Friday night derby games in the Ulster Bank League.

Cork Constitution 17 – 6 Dolphin
Cork Constitution ended a three match run without a win over neighbours Dolphin at Temple Hill to keep their prospects of a top four finish alive in Division 1A of the Ulster Bank League and they also won the inaugural Keary Cup.

Dolphin still remain rooted to the bottom of the table but will wonder how they lost this game as they bombarded the Con’ line for the final twenty minutes but could not get over the line for the illusive try.

Tomás Quinlan opened the scoring with a penalty for Cork Constitution after ten minutes but Rory Scannell had Dolphin level on twenty minutes.

An injury to Dolphin number 8 Ryan Murphy saw him leave the field on a stretcher with an elbow injury and Quinlan kicked a second penalty in injury time to give Con’ a 6-3 half time lead.

Scannell had Dolphin level again on fifty two minutes.

Max Abbott gave Con the lead on sixty minutes from a maul, following a lineout in the Dolphin 22.

Dolphin spent the next twenty minutes camped close to the Con’ line but excellent defending saw the home side hold out.

Quinlan denied Dolphin a losing bonus point with two injury time penalties.

Cork Constitution: D Lyons; D Sweetnam, M Keyes, N Kenneally, R Jermyn; T Quinlan, G Hurley; G Duffy, A O’Driscoll, G Sweeney; C O’Flaherty, D O’Brien; G Lawlor, J Murphy, J Ryan.
Replacements: M Abbott, C Corkery, F McSwiney, L Cahill, L Duffy.
Dolphin: E Mills, E O’Shaughnessy, M Chandler, D Horgan, S McAuliffe; R Scannell, K O'Keeffe; P McCabe, K O'Halloran, J Rochford; B Quill, D O'Mahony; R O'Herlihy, J Quill, R Murphy.
Replacements: D Byrne, J Leahy, J Fitzgerald, C McGovern, B Keeshan
Referee: K Barry (IRFU).

Shannon 17 – 34 Garryowen
Out half Jamie Gavin scored nineteen points as Garryowen ran out comfortable winners of the Division 1B Ulster Bank League derby clash at Thomond Park.

He scored a try, kicked two penalties and also four conversions as his side were full value for their win.
Having scored three tries in the first half, at the end of which they led 24-5, Garryowen had to wait until the final minutes for a bonus point when they were awarded a penalty try.

Garryowen made the perfect start when Jamie Gavin landed a penalty and winger James Frawley raced in for a try which Gavin converted to have the visitors 10-0 clear inside as many minutes.

But Shannon got back into contention when flanker Paddy Butler touched down in the corner after a traditional Shannon-style maul.

That was as good as it got, though, for the home side as Garryowen took complete control.
Scrumhalf Neil Cronin had a try, converted by Gavin, and then the out half touched down and he also converted to make it 24-5 at half-time.

Gavin put over another penalty five minutes into the second half and Shannon briefly threatened a comeback when David O'Donovan had a try but the penalty try, again converted by Gavin, ensured a bigger than usual winning margin from these derby games even if John Shine had a last minute try for Shannon, converted by Dave Evans.

Richmond 0 – 7 Old Crescent
An intercept by Gareth Quinn-McDonogh, saw him collect the ball inside his own 22 and run almost the length of the pitch before off-loading to Larry Hanly to score under the posts. That score proved the difference between the teams in this local derby on the Canal Bank pitch.

It was the first time Richmond has played in the Ulster Bank League under their own new floodlights.

RESULTS:
Ulster Bank League Division 1A: Cork Constitution 17 – 6 Dolphin;

Division 1B: Shannon 17 – 34 Garryowen;

Division 2B: Richmond 0 – 7 Old Crescent;
Tullamore 26 – 7 Navan