Under 17 Pre-Season Friendly
Creggs 17 – Ballinasloe 15
Creggs enjoyed a well merited two point victory over Ballinasloe in a competitive friendly fixture held in Ballinasloe RFC grounds on Sunday last. Conditions were ideal for fast flowing rugby and the home team started the better and scored two excellent tries. However as the first half wore on, Creggs began to get their hands on the ball and exert some pressure. The forward pack led by second row James Regan who was outstanding and well supported by Simon Spain, Alex Xyrek and Brian Coady provided a platform for half-backs James McNally and MichaelFarrell to show their skills. They provided possession for centres Brian Diffley and Connor Gore to make some scoring breaks through the centre. However the final pass did not stick and Creggs reached half-time 15 to nil behind. The second half saw the introduction of Shane Dowd, Kevin Gavin, Thomas O’Byre and Andrew Mannion. All four made substantial contributions. A good line break by Rory O’Donoghue who passed to Aidan Devine led to the ball begin moved across the backline by Stephen Crehan and Conor McNeill to Kevin Gavin who chipped the ball ahead and expertly gathered his own kick before touching down under the posts. 5 minutes later Creggs were back on the Ballinasloe line when Dan Butt and Michael Kelly made a number of forward surges and finally a second try came courtesy of a typical drive from Brian Diffley now playing in the back row. Creggs row sensed that victory could be theirs and they kept the pressure up with great tackling by Conor McNeill, Aidan Devine, Sean Doorly and Connor Gore setting up a late opportunity for Kevin Gavin who danced along the touchline and crossed for the winning try.
Training continues on Wednesday night at 7pm with a return fixture in Creggs V Ballinasloe on Friday night at 7.30pm under lights. A full turnout is expected this week.
Panel: Simon Spain, Alex Syrek, Brian coady, James Regan, Michael Kelly, Sean Doorly, Dan Butt, James McNally, Michael Farrell, Brian Diffley, Connor Gore, Stephen Crehan, Rory O’Donoghue, Conor McNeill, Shane Dowd, Andrew Mannion, Thomas O’Byrne, Kevin Gavin, Aiden Devine.