Terenure take play-off place

Terenure 41 St Mary’s 24

Daire Walsh

It was a day to remember for Terenure College at Lakelands Park yesterday, when they booked their place in the Ulster Bank League Division 1A play-offs with an emphatic victory over local rivals St Mary’s College.

Thanks to the reliable boot of Ray Crotty, Mary’s did keep themselves within touching distance for the majority of the contest, but with the outstanding Stephen O’Neill contributing a hat-trick of tries, ‘Nure eventually secured a magnificent 17-point success.

Crotty had opened the scoring for Mary’s with just two minutes gone on the clock, before Harry Moore’s try got the ball rolling for the hosts. Yet it wasn’t always plain sailing for ‘Nure, and Marcus O’Driscoll’s unconverted try on eight minutes breathed fresh life into the proceedings.

Indeed, courtesy of a six-point Crotty salvo, Mary’s led 14-8 on the half-hour mark. However, Terenure kicked into gear towards the end of the opening period, and despite conceding another Crotty place-kick, they led by three (20-17) at the midway point owing to Robbie Smyth and O’Neill tries.

With the game very much in the melting pot when the action resumed, O’Neill completed his hat-trick with magnificent finishes in the 49th and 51st minutes respectively. James Thornton converted both of these efforts, but at the end of a significant spell inside the ‘Nure 22 on 62 minutes, a Mary’s penalty try did offer a glimmer of hope to the visitors.

This was as close as they came to force their way back into the reckoning, however, and with Shane Donovan’s stoppage-time effort for Terenure concluding the scoring, Mary’s now find themselves second from bottom in the league table.

Scorers – Terenure College: S O’Neill 3 tries, R Smyth, H Moore, S Donovan try each, J Thornton pen, 3 cons, M O’Neill pen. St Mary’s College: M O’Driscoll try, penalty try, R Crotty 4 pens, con.

Terenure College: I Hanley; J O’Donoghue, S O’Neill, H Brewer, H Moore; J Thornton, K O’Neill; G Hamilton, R Smyth, C McCormack; F Walsh, J Dever; R Duke, J O’Neill, K McCoy.

Subs: K Buckley, R Harrison, S Donovan, N Lalor, M O’Neill.

St Mary’s College: R Crotty; C Toolan, M O’Driscoll, M Sexton, R O’Loughlin; S Kearns, D Fanagan; T O’Reilly, S McCarthy, B McGovern; C Ruddock, S Bradshaw; M Fallon, B O’Flanagan, K Sheahan.

Subs: Richard Sweeney, Robert Sweeney, D Frawley, K McKenna, C Lilly.