REPORT Omagh 14 v Cookstown RFC 5

Omagh RFC 14 – Cookstown RFC 5

Cookstown suffered their first loss of the season when they were defeated by a bolstered Omagh side in the Tyrone derby on Saturday past. Despite a good performance in the second half, they could not outdo a first half littered with errors and mistakes.

Omagh dominated the first half from the first whistle but could not breach the Cookstown try line and had to make do with 2 successful penalty attempts to hold a 6-0 lead going into half time.

A rollicking at half time by the captain Liam Currie paved the way for a much improved performance in the second half. Omagh did open the scoring in the second half to extend their lead to 9-0 but thereafter Cookstown were camped in the Omagh half. A superb back move involving Ciaran Currie and Stephen McKenna set up a try for Kezzy Nugent and the gap was cut to 9-5. Cookstown continued to press against a tiring Omagh side and had several opportunities to score but just couldn’t make the decisive breakthrough.

Omagh regrouped with a few minutes remaining to go through several phases allowing their prop to burst through to score. This concluded the scoring and a few minutes later the final whistle sounded to confirm a rare Cookstown defeat.

There was certainly much encouragement to be taken by the second half performance but the lads were left to rue a first half showing which didn’t resemble the high standards set by this Cookstown team.  Although Omagh haven’t made the short journey for the return fixture for the past four years, Cookstown are already looking forward to that fixture to right the wrongs of Saturday’s first half showing.

Training continues at Mid Ulster Sports Arena on Thursday at 7pm with the next fixture being another tough away fixture to Enniskillen on Saturday 18^th October.