Sat 21st Dec, 11:00 Omagh 24 – 17 Portadown
Try from Alex Dillon seals cup victory
by Kevin Murnaghan
Omagh Accies U13s got back to winning ways on Saturday in a highly entertaining and close fought contest at the Mellon Playing Fields.
Thankfully the adverse weather forecast did not materialise and the match was played out in much better conditions than the previous week. This allowed both teams to adopt an adventurous approach with the ball being moved through the hands at every opportunity.
Omagh were first to score when Niall McKenna raced clear down the left wing to score his second try in two games. Matthew Murnaghan added the conversion to give the Accies a 7 : 0 lead after 10 minutes.
Any thoughts that this would be an easy game were quickly dispelled when Portadown scored two good tries of their own. The first was a fine try in the corner when the backs exploited a lapse in concentration in the Omagh midfield. The second involved good interplay between forwards and backs that led to a try under the posts. This conversion was added to the second try giving Portadown a 12 : 5.
The Portadown scrum was the stronger and this was giving their backs and no. 8 in particular a good platform from which to attack. The Omagh boys were guilty of standing off a little and didn’t take the opportunity to counter-ruck when it presented itself. Having said that, some great tackles were made by Simon Creane and Thomas Boyd in particular. At prop Krystian Kazmierski and Niall Alexander, playing out of position, were making a great effort against the stronger Portadown pack. John Paul Murray also put in an honest shift in the second row.
The Accies were somewhat fortunate to get back on terms before half time but they did so when Joseph Mc Garvey latched on to a loose ball in midfield. Joseph showed what a devastating broken field runner he is when evading 4 or 5 defenders on his way for try number 20 this season. Matthew Murnaghan failed to add the extra points and the teams ended the half level at 12 : 12
Omagh got the perfect start to the second half when Niall McKenna raced in for his second try. Having scored 3 tries in 2 games Niall is clearly a potent finisher and surely would be giving Joseph Mc Garvey and Matthew Murnaghan a run for their money as top scorers had he been playing for more than just the last 2 weeks. It was a great individual effort and he made the conversion a formality for Matthew Murnaghan when he touched down behind the posts.
Whilst Niall had plenty to do to make the score it was not just an individual effort. Daniel Monaghan and Richard Laird were combining well in midfield and their pacy lines of running and passing had a big part to play in creating the space for Niall to attack. Rory Ritchie is improving with every game whilst Rory Murnaghan and Alex Dillon both had opportunities to run with the ball in hand.
It was from such a passage of play that the Accies scored their fourth try. The ball was moved through the hands of forwards and backs first left and then right. The continuity created an overlap on the right and Alex Dillon with a clever angled run was on hand to collect Matthew Murnaghan’s floated pass and dive over. Matthew Murnaghan was unable to land the conversion but Omagh now looked comfortable leading 24 : 12.
Portadown were not finished though. A clever kick from their out half forced Rory Murnaghan to concede a 5m scrum. In fact had Rory not been so alert it would have been a certain try for the Portadown winger. Portadown were not to be denied for long. They had dominated the scrum battle all morning and it was no surprise when their impressive no. 8 picked from the back of the scrum and dived for the line. Matthew Murnaghan made a valiant effort to hold him up but he was unable to prevent him grounding the ball. The conversion was missed leaving 7 points between the teams and 3 minutes to play.
Portadown secured possession from the restart and pressed hard for the equalling score. A clever kick from their out half gave them good field position inside the 22 and with their pack dominant it looked like they might score again. Magnificent defence from Niall Alexander, Harry Matthews and Ben McFarland held them out and when the ball went loose it was recovered by Simon Creane. Thomas Boyd, John Paul Murray and then Dylan Walsh took the ball on strongly bringing play into the Portadown half. With time up Matthew Murnaghan then kicked for touch and the final whistle.
There is a break in Youth Training this week for Christmas and no game next weekend. Training will resume on Thursday 2 January 2014 at Omagh Leisure Centre from 6.00pm until 8.00pm in advance of the next League game against Newry on 4 December 2014.
New players in Years 8 & 9 would also be very welcome
