Connemara 10

Creggs 28

By Mike Rafferty in Clifden

The rugby season might be winding down, but it is ending with a crescendo of excitement for Creggs as they collected the first piece of silverware of the campaign with success in this Junior 1A Super Four contest in Clifden on Sunday afternoon.

They are also chasing Junior Cup success, and they face Dunmore in the final at the end of the month with a double in mind. They have also qualified for the play-offs for the National League a week later, so a busy finale to the season is in store.

They had their minds very much on the task at hand in this game, and after building just a slender six point advantage with the aid of the opening-half wind, on the resumption they had to really work hard to maintain that lead, before two tries turned matters very much in their favour.

In contrast, Connemara will end the season empty-handed and a side so used to the trappings of success look like they will have to rebuild, as a generation of great leaders might be coming to an end.

With both sides having seen off Castlebar and Tuam in the four team round robin series, this head-to-head contest was to decide on the destiny of the title. With the aid of the wind it was Creggs who struck first when out-half Shane Purcell slotted over a 3rd minute penalty, before they added a try five minutes later.

A kick over the top by Mark Dowd had Henry O’Toole in trouble and his touch down behind the line set up a Creggs scrum, after which quick hands swiftly sent the ball along the line for Shane Dowd to touch down in the corner. Purcell’s sideline conversion was from the top drawer as they led by 10-0 with just 10 minutes elapsed.

Connemara are proud of their home record and after finally escaping from their own half, they opened their account with an Ian Staunton penalty. They continued to build on that and David McDonagh, Michael Ryan and Ethan Griffiths were central to the build-up that allowed Marty Conneely get over the line for a try. Staunton added the extras to leave matters level at 10-10 after 22 minutes.

Pictured: Junior Vice-President of the Connacht Branch of the IRFU, Tom Horkan, presents the Junior 1A cup to Creggs captain, James Brandon. Photo: Steve Fahey/Foxshots77.