On yet another gorgeous day in the breathtaking surrounds of Carrickfin Community Sports Field, Tir Chonaill RFC once again hosted a fantastic days rugby, which comprised a Mini Blitz which all county teams were invited to, and also the Senior Teams first ever home league game. These are the kind of days that make all the hard work of forming a new club worthwhile, and certainly the feedback from all locals and visitors was extremely positive, including from Newry referee Billy O’Gorman of which more later. The day began with a Mini Blitz in the morning, and ended many hours later in a boat race and exchange of songs between TC and the visiting Inishowen RFC Senior Team. All present had a great day, and the club hopes to build on the spirit, support and goodwill that was evident.
Mini Blitz : Some confusion still exists around the new age structures and date eligibilities proposed over the Summer, but TC decided to stick to the previous Under 8, 10 and 12 groups. Evident from the start was the swelling in the ranks of Under 10s from the home team, with some fantastic players moving up from last years under 8s. These guys will feature in a future article, as well as their mates in the U12s and U8s. There were some new additions following the successful Rugby Summer Camp in Maghery in August, and the club hopes for many more when new CRO Shaun Doogan begins coaching in the schools this week. Visiting teams were from Donegal Town RFC and Finn Valley, both of whom fielded strong teams at all age groups, a credit to them this early in the season. Some fantastic games ensued, and of particular note was the skill and athleticism of the girls from all the clubs. These three clubs hope to make big strides with girls rugby this season, as it seems increasingly popular, and the girls can certainly hold their own up until the age of 12, after which they must play girls only rugby. All age groups at the club performed very well on the day, with this correspondent focussing on U12 games, and of particular mention in these was a fantastic try by Hugh Ferry, and a Man of the Match debut by Karl Wallace, who only joined us during the Summer Camp bu looks a real prospect. In the U10 game I seen, young Brendan O’Donnell stood out, and he has just moved up from the U8s.Reports from the U8s list Thomas Boyle and Fionn Nicholas (great tackling) as star men and some great work from newcomers. There is real talent in these kids, so rewarding to see after only 2 years, and we can look forward with real hope. Kids you were a credit to your parents, coaches and your club (the same applies to the visiting teams). Keep up the good work!
Under 13s : Tir Chonaill Under 13s will this Sat 1st Oct play Donegal Town and possibly Finn Valley at Carrickfin at 11.15, following their game on Wed in City of Derry. Please come and support this talented team as they attempt to build on their win against Letterkenny.
TC Seniors 16 v Inishowen 36 : An eagerly anticipated game since these this was the 5th meeting between these teams, and there is a real tight bond between the clubs now. This however stops as the teams leave the changing rooms, and doesn’t resume until they are safely installed on a high stool in Caisleain Oir post match….A large crowd gathered for this match, and all were ready apart from a ‘Where the hell is Alice’ moment as there was no sign of the ref! Following discussions with both captains,
it was decided to proceed with a local ref. Some lively banter ensued on the sidelines where family ancestries of both ref, spectators and players were hotly debated…all great fun. Inishowen started brightly, and with the TC rejigged scrum malfunctioning, and the lineout suffering on a windy day, the experienced visitors were able to dominate possession and run in 3 tries in the first half. Tir Chonaill however never gave up, and some fantastic tackling and scramble defence limited the damage. For the second half, TC again shuffled their scrum, and ended up with a more solid platform. Inishowen did manage to run in 3 more tries, but visibly looked to be tiring as TC gained confidence, and started to push into their territory. TC Man of the Match Benny McGarvey finally crossed for a try following some excellent forwards pressure, and as well as that, Benny converted his try, and kicked 3 penalties on what was a blustery day. Benny and his brother Martin both stepped up on the day and are excellent additions to the team, as well as new scrum half Robert Wehrly, Mark Gallagher in the pack and the returning Conor Gallagher. Sadly it was centre Paddy O’Donnells last game as he departs once more for Australia, thanks for your efforts Paddy and good luck. TC are delighted to see increased interest and new players arriving almost weekly. Inishowen were very complimentary after the game, and we are encouraged going into our next games. What we need now is for everyone to turn out for the difficult away games, a win is not far away. Many thanks to referee Billy O’Gorman who eventually arrived at half time and did an excellent job in the second half. See the link below for a report of his epic journey and his experience of Tir Chonaill, this has been posted on the Ulster Rugby website and is a great read.
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/branch/news/9704.php
Nice to get a glowing report, and it was a great day all round. Many thanks to all who helped out during the day, and of course to all the visiting teams. See you all again soon…..
