Brave Armagh Girls fall to Virginia
The Domino sponsored Under 18 Ladies hoped to create their own “pizza” history at the weekend by defeating Virginia for the first time at this level. Resplendant in their new shirts and with a large crowd watching on, the scene seemed set for a big Armagh performance. Alas, in the first minute, the Palace Grounds feelgood factor was severely dampened by an excellent Leah Gregory try in the corner for Virginia. To Armagh’s credit, this was the last time Virginia would visit their territory for the remainder of the half. Vicky Irwin, Armagh’s captain, broke free and was heading for the try line, only to be stopped by a tug on her hair. Play was allowed to continue and Zoe Rafferty was bundled into touch 1 metre short of the line. Armagh were not to be denied and, when Leah McGoldrick stole Virginia ball, she raced to the corner to even the scores at 5 points each. Continuous Armagh pressure led to a hasty clearance kick being fielded by Armagh’s fullback, Laura Henderson, who outpaced the Virginia backline to touch down. Halftime saw Armagh lead 10-5.
The second half started as the first, with a quick Virginia try by Amy Whitley. With Armagh suffering from their first half exertions, Ciara Brown scored 2 further tries and Amy Whitley added her second to bring the score to 25-10 in Virginia’s favour. The rest off the game was spent in Virginia’s 22, but try as they might, Armagh could not add to their total. The final whistle sounded with Armagh again in the ascendancy. This was a brave performance against a quality team and proud Armagh Coaches, Neil Rafferty and Peter O’Hanlon, praised their troops and remarked on the vast improvement the team has made in the last year, with lots more to come!
