Roscrea see off fierce Wesley challenge
Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup
Daire Walsh
Cistercian College Roscrea will face St Mary’s College in the quarter-final of the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, after they overcame a stern challenge from Wesley College at Castle Avenue yesterday.
The 2015 champions enjoyed a dream start at the home of Clontarf FC, as centre Diarmaid Kilgallon crossed the Wesley whitewash with just 23 seconds gone on the clock.
Wesley subsequently narrowed the gap with a superb Gary Hawe five-pointer, before a routine Billy Foley penalty gave Roscrea a 10-5 interval advantage. However, when Luke Fitzpatrick got on the end of Hawe’s brilliant chipped kick six minutes after the restart, their lead had been wiped out.
A Jack Atkinson bonus strike moved Wesley into the ascendancy for the very first time, only for Roscrea to re-assert their authority with James Corcoran and Liam Crowley respective tries in the 45th and 62nd minutes.
A determined Wesley registered a late score through Peter Costello in second-half stoppage-time, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 22-19 victory for a physically-imposing Cistercian College.
Their opponents in the next phase – St Mary’s – were also in action against St Andrew’s College at Donnybrook Stadium. Outsiders Andrew’s broke the deadlock with a 16th-minute Jack O’Brien try.
Yet, with Hugo Conway, Eoin Carey and Ruairi Shields all dotting down, Mary’s were 17-8 in front at the midway stage. A Daniel James score kept Andrew’s in touch, but Mary’s were never in danger of letting their guard slip. An additional try from Ian Wickham helped them to progress with 11 points to spare (29-18).
Elsewhere in the competition’s last-eight, defending champions Belvedere College will meet with Newbridge College, while Blackrock College and St Michael’s College will face St Gerard’s, Bray and Clongowes Wood College respectively.