Letterkenny Dig Deep
Letterkenny’s 1st XV beat Derry YM’s 1st XV 24-3 in very wet conditions at Dave Gallaher Park on Saturday. The first half was very slow to begin with neither team taking advantage of the high numbers of unforced errors. Derry YM were the first to get on the score sheet with a penalty just outside the Letterkenny 22. Letterkenny replied immediately with Brian Peoples converting a penalty in difficult footing. It was 3-3 at the end of a very lethargic half however Letterkenny should have had a try or two following some determined play from the likes of Rae Clarke and Shaun Dunleavy late on in the half. Following the break the Letterkenny men had galvanised themselves and looked about retrieving what looked to be a poor performance. They began to play the phases with patience and aggression, this freed up the backs with plenty of space and a try from Andrew Gibson was soon to follow. The next try came following a fierce forward onslaught, following which the ball was spread wide to put Gibson in for his second of the day. Letterkenny had set out their stall in the Derry Half and their tempo was too much for the away team to handle. Letterkenny scored again soon after this in a similar fashion however it was front row Rory McGonagle who touched down on this occasion. This turned out to be the last play of the game. Brian peoples had a fantastic day with the boot converting with 100 per-cent accuracy.
Letterkenny’s 2nd XV beat off Lurgan in a reversal of last weeks result in Lurgan. The Letterkenny men took full advantage of a home tie winning 25-3 to send them into the third round of the Forster Cup. The tries came from Tony McBride, Derek Daly, Craig Herron and Sean Deary with a penalty and conversion from Tony McBride.
A ‘bridge Too Far
Letterkenny u15’s and 17’s took the long road to Banbridge on Saturday but were unable to return with the same level of achievement as their U13’s had done previously, who had defeated the County Down side by 27 points to nil, in the cup pool fixture.
The U17’s had made a number of changes to the team of previous weeks, to enable more of the squad to get a run out, but even the more experienced missing faces would have been hard pressed to come away with a much different score-line against one of the best youth teams in Ulster.
Despite dogged defence throughout Banbridge amassed 51 points to just one converted penalty from the visitors.
The U17’s have to bounce back quickly from this 51-3 defeat as they entertain NE league winners Ballyclare, at Dave Gallaher Park, on Saturday in the play-off stages of the Ulster league competition. Ballyclare were undefeated in the 6 league matches they managed to play and should prove another tough test for Letterkenny.
The under 15’s also went down heavily, losing 45 points to nil, but the score line doesn’t do the lads justice for their efforts. In deed in the early stages of the game Letterkenny had the upper hand and were unlucky not to score on two occasions before the home side got into their stride.
Letterkenny’s scrum was dominant most of the game but Banbridge had the services of two outstanding players, particularly the outside centre, who made much of the difference between the two teams.
Earlier in the season and this team would have ran riot against the Letterkenny boys, but this squad has, and continues to, improve beyond recognition.
Saturday brings a friendly home fixture against Ballyclare.
Letterkenny U15 Team; J.Chambers, S.O’Brien, A.West, E.Ferry, B.Russell, D.MacNaillais, D.McLean, O.Noonan, B.Khavia, R.Mortimer, M.Harkin (Cpt), T.O’Dea, P.J.McBride, S.MacGinty, M.Molloy
