Clontarf loss gives Belvo title edge

Landswone 34 Clontarf 27 (ULSTER BANK AIL DIVISION 1A)

It is advantage Old Belvedere in the race for top flight supremacy, as Clontarf fell to their second defeat in succession on the Aviva Stadium‘s main pitch last night.

David Joyce put ‘Tarf 6-0 up, but Lansdowne opened up an 18-point cushion (24-6) through converted tries by Peter Dooley, Adam Boland and centre Mark Roche.

Clontarf’s Conor O’Keefe and Max McFarland scored a try each to eat into the lead, but Foster Horan’s 69th-minute try sealed the victory.

LANSDOWNE – C Aherne; I Fitzpatrick, M Roche, T Daly, F Horan; S Deasy, D Henry; P Dooley, T Moran, A Boland; W Earl, S Gardiner; C Ross, C Butterworth, B Moylett. Reps: S Delahunt, I Prendiville, R Jones, I Burke, T Farrell.

CLONTARF – D Fitzpatrick; M McGrath, E Ryan, K Lett, M McFarland; D Joyce, S Cronin; I Hirst, B Byrne, K Donoghue; B Reilly, C O’Keefe; K Moran, L Murphy, A Ryan. Reps: C O’Flynn, T Byrne, D Hegarty, P Du Toit, T McCoy.

REF – A Rolland (IRFU).