Roscrea RFC hosts Midlands cup finals.
On December 29th Roscrea RFC had the privilege of hosting 2 midlands Rugby finals at their home ground. Roscrea RFC welcomed opposition Tullamore RFC to contest the Jimmy Moore Bowl Final. While Longford RFC met Mullingar RFC in the Chris Glennon cup final, both games kicked off simultaneously at 2pm. The occasion had a festive atmosphere as is fitting for the time of year with a large contingent of supporters from each club making their way to Roscrea to support their teams. Given the time of year and the recent weather, the playing surface was perfect for fast flowing rugby, which is testament to Roscrea RFC groundsman Aidan Kenneally who had focused on the pitch condition with this event in mind. Before the games kicked off, the Roscrea RFC president Brendan Hyland welcomed dignitaries from the Midlands clubs for a pre match meal in the Roscrea Clubhouse.
Chris Glennon Cup, Longford RFC v Mullingar RFC
Longford RFC and Mullingar RFC competed for the Chris Glennon cup. From the outset it was evident to the gathered supporters that this game was going to be a festive cracker. Both teams laid down some early markers with determined attack meeting resolute defence. It was Mullingar RFC captained by the hugely impressive Darren Brady who gained the initiative early on with some excellent team tries, including a brilliant finish from full back Sean Rock. Some fantastic play in attack from outhalf Mitchell Millar who linked up brilliantly with his backs must have pleased Mullingar Coach Tom Campbell who watched on from the side-lines. However, Longford under the stewardship of head coach Glen Basket are a resilient team and they gradually fought their way back into the game. With captain Benny McManus playing at second row leading from the front driving the impressive Longford RFC pack forward and with a strong half pack paring of Ryan Mchugh and Ian McCormack pulling the strings in the back line. The intensity of the contest was a superb advertisement for the game at this level with both teams having spells of sublime attacking rugby met with fierce defending. The result was still in the balance when Mullingar scored a fine break away try with the clock ticking down to make it 29 – 15 in their favour. However, there was still time for drama as with only minutes to go a scuffle on the half way line forced the Referee who had the controlled the game very well throughout to stop his watch. After deliberating with his assistants, he subsequently showed a red card to the Mullingar RFC no 13 who had played superbly up until that point. Longford RFC continued to attack and never stopped until the final whistle, but the day belonged to Mullingar RFC who triumphed and lifted the Chris Glennon Cup with a score of 29 – 15. During the trophy presentation Mullingar RFC captain Darren Brady thanked the excellent opposition on the day, also paying tribute to the fine standard of refereeing and to the hosts Roscrea RFC for their hospitality.
Longford RFC
1 Padraig Farrell, 2 Philip Dardis, 3 Dylan Quinn, 4 Barry Stewart, 5 Benny McManus (Capt), 6 Arron Beirne, 7 Kieran O’Gorman, 8 Kolo Kiripati (guest), 9 Ryan McHugh, 10 Ian McCormack, 11 James Mimnagh, 12 Cormac Hughes, 13 Hubie Connolly, 14 Sammy Murphy, 15 Jack Finegan, 16 Justin Murray, 17 Kevin Rodgers, 18 Andrew Beirne, 19 Owen McGowan, 20 Peader Kenny Coach Glen Basket
Mullingar RFC
1 Chris Fox, 2 Brian Reidy, 3 Darren Brady (Capt), 4 Darach Geraghty, 5 Daragh Lambe, 6 Cormac Dunne, 7 Paul Maxwell, 8 Lemeki Viapulu, 9 Cian Cleary, 10 Mitchell Millar, 11 Cathal Burke, 12 Donal Mcgovern, 13 Daire Conway, 14 Petar Mitic, 15 Sean Rock, 16 Jon Moran, 17 Alan Naughton, 18 Killian McNay, 19 Niall Derham. Coach Tomas Campbell
Jimmy Moore Bowl Roscrea RFC v Tullamore RFC
The hosts Roscrea RFC welcomed Tullamore RFC to Streamstown to compete for the Jimmy Moore Bowl. With a large crowd watching on, the two teams put on a super display in attack and defence with long spells of flowing rugby. Roscrea, who were captained by Denis Kelly on the day, scored 2 penalties in the first half from the boot of the ever-reliable Sam Queally and were building with some intent. But Tullamore RFC were resolute and driven on by their excellent Captain Shane Brennan playing a pivotal role at scrum half, they scored 4 unanswered tries either side of half time which was just reward for a long spell of consistent quality play. This left Roscrea RFC with a mountain to climb and despite the introduction of fresh players from a very strong bench they could not break down a resolute defence. Tullamore RFC continued to contain a resurgent Roscrea as the clock ticked down, which would have pleased Tullamore coach Bernard Western as much as his team’s earlier spells in attack. Most notable for Tullamore RFC was the superb performance of the evergreen and experienced Donal Milne who put on a masterclass in attack and defence when his team needed him most, always providing an outlet and making hard yards with every contribution. The match ended with Roscrea attacking the Tullamore line looking for that elusive try but coming just short. The contest finished with Tullamore deservedly securing the Jimmy Moore Bowl with a score of 25 – 6. Afterwards, Tullamore Captain Shane Brennan thanked the opposition on behalf of his team for providing a stern test on the day and paid tribute to the travelling support and Roscrea RFC for hosting the event.
Roscrea RFC
1 Peter Hennessy, 2 Stephen Ryan, 3 Terrance Kenneally, 4 John Carter, 5 Robbie Fairbrother, 6 Paddy Walsh, 7 Phenyo Ketsitlile, 8 Enda Maher, 9 Mark Dunne, 10 Sam Queally, 11 Delacy Byrne, 12 Denis Kelly (capt), 13 Ferghus Hannon, 14 Jon Sutton, 15 Gavin Hannon, 16 Michael Fitzgerald, 17 Michael Treacy, 18 Kieran Stone, 19 Jonjoe Ryan, 20 Jake Lawlor, 21 Seamus Treacy, 22 Ger Stone. Coach John Maher
Tullamore RFC
1 Ryan Conway, 2 Shane Minnock, 3 kealan Feery, 4 David keyes, 5 Gary Pyke, 6 Chris Whittle, 7 John Connelly, 8 Glen Bagnell, 9 Shane Brennan (capt), 10 Tiarnan Quinn, 11 Aaron Pierce, 12 Jerome Scully, 13 Dean Pierce, 14 Robbie Kennedy, 15 Mikey Lynam, 16 Michael Pierce, 17 Shane Spillane, 18 Aaron Scally, 19 Eoghan Galvin, 20 Donal Milne, 21 Cathal Behan
