The game at Hatrick Park between leaders Rainey Old Boys and Sligo was as good as over after only five minutes with the home side 14-0 ahead,but,while they were never stretched,it took them until the 68th minute to secure the bonus point they were looking for.Full-back Mark O’Connor’s third try of the day greatly eased the tension that was mounting in the crowd who had to watch on as Rainey huffed and puffed their way to a 31-0 victory over a very limited side who were visiting Magherafelt for the first time.
CLICK HERE for Action Shots v Sligo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! theres alot of shots because they had the ball alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES of the SNR Cup Semi Final On The Rainey Old Boys Website although it is close to crashing due to the volume of visitors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any latecomers missed the best part of an uninspiring contest as Rainey got off to a sensational start.From a lineout in the 22′,the Rainey pack drove towards the posts to earn a penalty which scrum-half Simpson took quickly.He was stopped by a defence which did not retreat the requisite distance,but was helped over the line by his support.And three minutes later,a Sligo handling error in midfield was punished as Rainey moved it wide for flanker Burns to send O’Connor away with a beautifully timed little delayed pass.O’Connor’s conversion went over via an upright.
Sligo missed a shot at goal on a rare visit into home territory,while O’Connor twice failed to find the target.Out-half Martin made a clean break with his back-row in support,but Sligo survived as they did again late in the half when Rainey were unable to convert pressure into points.
Eight minutes into the second half,Lamberton weaved his way infield with Shiels and Barker continuing the move and a penalty to the corner saw Shiels getting the touchdown when O’Kane was held up.Some switches added life to the proceedings for a brief spell with Sligo reaching the Rainey 22′ for just about the first time in the match,but when they coughed up possession, O’Conner exploited the narrow side to chip ahead for Lamberton to take it on the full and feed it back inside for O’Connor to race through for the bonus point try. He may have had,by his standards,an off-day with the boot,but he completed his hat-trick in the last minute when,from a scrum,he sliced through the centre to score beneath the posts.
TEAM : M.O’Connor,A.Clarke,D.Mc Murray,M.Mc Clelland,R.Lamberton,G,Martin,S.Simpson,N.Amos,S.Sufferin,N.O’Kane,M.Shiels,T.Barker,T.Burns,P.Heaney,P.Mc Gowan.
REPLACEMENTS : A.Harbinson ( Burns 54 ) J.Mc Murray ( McClelland ) P.Boyle ( Barker 62 ) S.Rutledge ( O’Kane 62 )
RAINEY O.B. 3 41-5 OMAGH 3
Rainey O.B. 3 had too much power up front and pace in the backs for Omagh 3 who had to play second fiddle at Hatrick Park.Leading 29-0 at the break,Rainey went on to win 41-5 and keep the pressure on the front-runners.
Rainey scored four tries in the first-half through centre Mc Bride,wing Donnelly,out-half Irvine and flanker McIvor with the placekicking of Walker accounting for the remaining points.Mc Bride and Donnelly crossed again as Rainey remained in control,with second-row O’Kane prominent as a ball-carrier.
200 CLUB – winners are 1.Ciaran Donaghy 2.John Keatley.
DIVISION 2 B results – Ards 13 – 14 Instonians Armagh 17-10 Navan Naas 35 – 19 Suttonians Nenagh 16 – 12 Skerries Sunday’s Well 17 – 23 Barnhall Thomond 22 – 24 Boyne
BUSY FESTIVE PERIOD FOR RAINEY
Christmas will come early for Rainey if they account for Ballymena in the final of the First Trust Ulster Senior Cup at Ravenhill on Wednesday evening,12 December.But,before they sit down to consider how they can upset the Braidmen,they have a vitally important AIL game against Instonians at Shaw’s Bridge next Saturday to fulfil.
Rainey beat the Belfast side quite easily in the Ulster League earlier in the season,but that will count for nothing on Saturday.Inst are currently rebuilding after relegation and have a young side which could have trouble coping with Rainey up front.A Rainey win would really set them up for the Ballymena game.
Ballymena are,of course,coached by John Andrews,who will always be remembered for the impact he had at Hatrick Park.Brought on board to add experience to a talented young side,he took Rainey to the top of the Junior tree,winning the Qualifying 1 title twice and contesting a Towns’ Cup final.In April 2006,he starred as they beat Youghal at Lansdowne Road in the AIB All-Ireland Junior Cup Final.Three weeks later,Rainey were a senior club,having won the play-offs in style.After leading them to a very satisfactory seventh place in their first season in the AIL,he was snapped up by Dungannon.He is now back with his old club.
Ballymena are the holders of the Senior Cup.Their young side reached the final of the All-Ireland Senior Cup,putting up a good display against a vastly more experienced Garryowen side.But since then,they have surprisingly lost several promising young players and have struggled in Division 1 B.An important win over Blackrock at Stradbrook last week will have boosted their morale.Prop Jimmy Carson hopes to return from injury to captain the side which will rely heavily on the experience of former Ulster and Leinster prop Simon Shawe and the recalled locks Ian Caldwell and Daryl O’Kane.Rainey will have to keep a close eye on Welshman Scott Gibson,a key figure behind the scrum.Ballymena defeated Derry 19-12 at Eaton Park in the semi-final.
Until this season,Rainey had never won a senior cup tie.After a poor start at Stevenson Park,they came from behind to win 21-14.The semi-flnal at Gibson Park was a similar story.A spirited comeback and a sensational ending leaving the rank outsiders 21-14 winners.If they play to their strengths,Rainey can pull off another surprise result.Having lost several quality players from last season,they brought in some fine young players who are settling in well.Scrum-half Alan Mc Cluggage and flanker Conor O’Neill will miss out through injury,but Stuart Simpson and Tom Burns have done well and the return of Paul Heaney has been a big bonus.Tim Barker,Stephen Rutledge and Paddy Mc Gowan have produced the goods as 41 players have already been used.With regulars like Stewart Mc Dowell and David Dawson ruled out,the new recruits have been worth their weight in gold.
RAINEY FIXTURES – 8 Dec.
1st XV v INSTONIANS away 2.30 p.m.
3rd XV v BALLYNAHINCH 5 home
4th XV v INISHOWEN 2 home
