St Mary’s end 21-year wait for Junior Cup final
St Mary’s College 10
Belvedere College 7
Leinster Schools Junior Cup semi-final
Daire Walsh
Donnybrook
Second-half tries from Adam Sloan and Andrew Gibbons at Donnybrook yesterday helped St Mary’s College to reach the Leinster Schools Junior Cup decider for the time since 1997.
Mary’s excelled in a 10-0 win over Terenure College last week, but their opponents – Belvedere College – had sent out a signal of intent in their last-eight success against Clongowes Wood College.
Indeed, the northside school broke the deadlock on 17 minutes – when Jonathan Ross crossed over at the end of a powerful set-piece move.
Dylan O’Grady supplied the extras, giving Belvo a seven-point interval lead. With a limited supply of possession, Mary’s struggled to create momentum.
This changed after break, as a sustained spell of attacking pressure produced a try for impressive back-row Sloan. Darragh Gilbourne’s wayward conversion left two points between the sides before Mary’s added a second try through Gibbons on 50 minutes.
This proved to the decisive score of the game and the Rathmines school will now face the winners of tomorrow’s semi-final clash between Blackrock College and Castleknock College.
Scorers for St Mary’s College: A Sloan, A Gibbons try each.
Scorers for Belvedere College: J Ross try, D O’Grady con.
ST MARY’S COLLEGE: M Svejdar; R Moore, R Nolan, B O’Loughlin, S Czerniek; D Gilbourne, S Devereux; C Dillon, M Black, A Mulvihill, D Leane, H Massey, W Sparrow, J Kennedy, A Sloan.
Replacements: E Feeney for Svejdar (29), A Gibbons for Dillon, M Gallagher for Sparrow (both 41), G O’Moore for Massey (56).
BELVEDERE COLLEGE: D O’Grady; S Meaney, J Maher, D Hawkshaw, E Carroll; F McCarrick, B Foy; C Russell, D Lambe, S Hayes, J Flynn, C Doran, J Sargent, E Rutledge, J Ross.
Replacements: Z Hayden for Russell (51), R Keeley for Foy (54).
Referee: J Flynn (LRR).