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Reports from Senior Level Barnhall 25 Lansdowne 18 J4 League And so it came to pass on the 6 th day of March in the year of our lord 2010 the Barnhall J4 Bulls received their league pennant and medals following a magnificent victory against Lansdowne. Founded in 1872 by Henry WD Dunlop as the Irish Champion Athletic Club, Lansdowne Football Club is one of the oldest rugby clubs in Ireland as well as one of the best-known and is steeped in tradition. They have 99 players that were capped by Ireland and have won every accolade available to a rugby club in Ireland . With this type of tradition and with the obvious resources this great club has it came as a huge surprise that Lansdowne called for uncontested scrums, surly a club of this stature is not afraid of the mighty pack of Barnhall? But fear takes many shapes and it was the fearsome reputation of Mullin, Beatty, Stafford and Swaine amongst others that sent a chill wind through the Ballycoris air on Saturday last. With an engine room of Quinn and Hogan ready to pulverize all that came in front of them it was no surprise that Lansdowne called for uncontested for the third time in three outings against the mighty men from out west, on the edge of the pale on the edge of the known world for most Dublin Metro teams. They believe coming to Parsonstown is akin to going to Donegal, Galway or Kerry. A trip into the unknown, a trip to HELL!!! And this team of warriors has proven all year that Barnhall Bulls are now a fearsome opponent at this level. Having overcome the obvious disappointment of not being able to scrum, Barnhall set about their business early as they had done all season. With Turley kicking for territory and the snipping runs of Nagel, Geoghegan and McAuley along with the force of the Beast in midfield AKA Gippy. Barnhall went into an early lead when the boot of Leo Turley slotted over a world record drop goal, his record forth of the season from 43 meters. A meter for every year on this planet! This was quickly followed when last years player of the season and now really close to being called to Declan Kidneys squad Mark Lundy picked at the base of a scrum and barged his way over for the first try of the day. Turley missed the conversion. Lansdowne responded with a penalty after Turley was deemed to have high tackled the smallest man on the Lansdowne team. In fairness if he had gone high he would have missed him. The penalty was successful to leave the score 8 – 3 half way through the half. Then came the moment of magic from the South African Kilcock native. Nagel got sloppy ball off a lineout and took off. He beat most of the Lansdowne team with sidesteps and swerves and speed that has not been seen since the heady days of Phil Bennett or Tony Ward. In fact he even sidestepped someone in the goal area before he touched down. Leo slotted the conversion with a slightly better kick than his last effort and The Bulls lead 15 – 3. Lansdowne responded with another penalty as they put some pressure on but they also missed a couple others that may have brought the scores closer. Some excellent defense by Barnhall ensured at half time the score was 15 – 6. Some hard words were spoken at halftime, Lundy was carrying a leg, Leo was carrying two, Mick Mullin said he was carrying the whole team while JP just wanted to carry someone. Don't worry son your time would come. Barnhall kicked off the second half with a slight breeze behind them and immediately went on the attack. After a few failed forays into Lansdowne territory a couple of mistakes let Lansdowne capitalise and they worked the ball down the field to score an opportunist try in the corner. The conversion was missed to leave the score 15 – 11. But the Blue Bulls came storming back and an excellent move involving Lundy and Nagel allowed the galloping McAuley score in the corner. From the touchline and with a barrage of good humored banter being hurled at him Leo slotted the conversion. Barnhall lead 22 – 11 with 20 minutes remaining. But this Lansdowne team obviously buoyed on by the home support and the fact that they probably had a few J2 and J3's playing kept battling on and scored a try that was converted. Were Barnhall starting to crack? Cometh the hour cometh the man, it was Swaine time. After some more intense pressure from Lansdowne Leo cleared his lines and a lineout was called just inside the Bull's 22. An injury allowed Barnhall to plot their next move and it was JP drawing on his thespian skills (I said Thespian) as he quoted Shakespeare- If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? To which Mullin's replied with another Shakespeare quote “Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.” To which JP responded I will take it and you will push!!! To which Lundy replied, what are ye talking about? The Lansdowne hooker floated the ball and like an eagle, Eddie the eagle, JP soared to grab the oval shaped prize and was returned to earth to begin a journey that he described in his own words offered him immense sexual satisfaction. A rolling maul that covered 40 meters is a thing of beauty. Lansdowne were penalised for pulling it down, Turley converted the penalty and Barnhall lead by 7 with minutes remaining. But the story does not end there as Barnhall, with plenty of walking wounded tackled and defended through 7 minutes of injury time to secure a famous victory. Bodies were put on the line with Moloney and Kelly, Gippy The Beast, Mullin, Stafford , Tiser et al making the hits. Barnhall captain Leo Turley was presented with the J4 Section B pennant by Mr Stuart Bailey of the Leinster Branch after the game that saw the 15 Blue Bull's heroes collect their medals and super sub Richie O Reilly who although injured made the journey over to help us out. Tears were shed in the dressing room afterwards as memories of many losses and close run battles were remembered. Absent friends such as Beats, Fitzy and Collie Quinn were honoured as the Broken Leg Brothers (BLB) Fallon and Finn were presented with their medals. The final word was left to Mr Michael Mullin but as they say every picture tells a story!! Allez les Blue………… by Barnhall sinks Carlow A fast start by Barnhall kicked off the momentum to carry the Parsonstown side to a home victory over luckless Carlow on Saturday. The game plan was to open up with all guns blazing and after only four minutes Barry Dunne had touched down following a furious drive by the Barnhall forwards. The kicking duties were handed to Darragh O Neill and he floated a wonderful kick from the sideline over the bar for the added points to establish a seven points to nil lead. The game descended into a scrappy affair for the next twenty minutes as the young Carlow team looked to make amends for numerous opening errors. The Barnhall front row had much the better of the early exchanges and time and again possession for Carlow was poor or under extreme pressure from Cormack and Barry Dunne and by Tom McKeown. Daryl Furlong who played much of the game at Scrum half also operated as a tormenting back row forward further adding to the pressure on the Carlow forwards and half backs. Despite conceding seven penalties to Carlow the visitors were unable to make significant progress. Only one successful goal kick from two attempts taken by Richie Whyte and this was almost immediately cancelled out by O'Neill with a decent effort from 30 meters. At 10 points to 3 and with a serious error count coming from the chasing Carlow team a high score was expected. As Carlow made changes to the front row line up possession did come more comfortably and Barnhall changed tack allowing the back line to display there talents. Barnhall opened up a number of gaps which resulted in concessions from the visitors. A missed opportunity when Barnhall knocked on while over the Carlow line was rectified shortly afterwards when Carlow were unable to lift the siege and a penalty try was awarded for an infringement close to the Carlow line. O'Neill added the simple conversion to establish a strong lead at 17 points to 3. The Visitors did not throw in the towel and a lapse in concentration allowed Carlow to gain good possession late in the half and a penalty was conceded which Whyte slotted home to close out the half at 17 points to 6. The second half opened with a flourish form Carlow as the front row battle began to swing in the visitors favour and some decent phases of play were being put together by the Carlow men. Even the reversal of a penalty and the yellow card for No 9 Dave Barron didn't dent the efforts by the visitors. A poor Barnhall clearance was picked up by Ray Stynes who released Ross Byrne the ex Barnhall mini and youth player who cut through the defence and crossed over close to the posts for a well worked score. Whyte added the conversion and at 17 points to 13 it was game on. Barnhall responded well and did not allow any distraction from the pattern of play they had embarked on in the first half. A series of good moves followed by a concerted forward drive took the home side over the line with McKeown touching down just left of the posts which again set up O'Neill for an easy conversion. At 24 points to 13 it didn't look like the Carlow revival would amount to a complete turnaround. The strict application of the rules saw a total of four yellow cards being given three for Carlow and one for Barnhall and it was a combination of the third yellow for Carlow and the injury to substitute Prop Dave Cassidy that put the final end to this game as a competitive encounter. The scrums changed to a non contested event and while Barnhall had begun to re assert supremacy in the scrums the speed in which the back line could react at this breakdown favoured Barnhall more than the visitors. In the final fifteen minutes Philip Caudwell picked up a pass from Dean Jameson when Barnhall had decided to run the ball out of defence. Caludwell made good progress until he was faced by his one time youth and mini's partner Ross Byrne. A neat chip over Byrnes head was followed by a race for possession and a near trip from Byrne did not knock Cauldwell off his stride. An excellent pick up off the ground and a long race to the line was won by Cauldwell and the result was on of the best try's scored in Barnhall for a long time. Leo Quinn attempted the conversion but narrowly missed his effort. With a decent cushion to work with Barnhall looked very confident with Quinn flashing out accurate passes to set up several good attacks. Barnhall again knocked on over the line just as the game was ending. In playing advantage for the knock on Whyte cleared the ball about 38 meters out where Gerome Bideau collected and with all the time he needed Bideau attempted a drop goal and sealed his effort comfortably between the posts. The Whistle blew and the score was awarded leaving a final total of 32 points to 13. The win confirms Barnhall's place in division 3 next year. The lack of any points from the game leaved the Carlow team looking for a miracle to escape the bottom rung of the league and this they are now facing relegation from the senior ranks. Barnhall 42 Stillorgan 3 J5 League Saturday brought excellent rugby conditions with the sun shining and a light breeze. In the reverse fixture at the latter part of 2009, Barnhall had lost 22 - 7 and felt the scoreline on that day was flattering to Stillorgan. That game had been lost in the first ten minutes of the game and early tries. Last Saturday saw a completely different game unfold. Injuries again hampered selection with Kevin Conroy unavailable, Gareth Ringrose moved into out-half. Jimmy Meara went in at scrum-half (a familiar position for Jimmy although has been training as a forward for the majority of this season) and had a fantastic game. Jimmy managed the play well in the ruck and maul and his passing to Ringrose was first class. In the forwards, Michael Mousley was struggling with injury and luckily Brian Quinn was timely in his return from injury. The game started at a strong pace and Stillorgan began with possession in the Barnhall half but some early clearing of the lines brought Barnhall right back down the pitch. Early indiscipline from Stillorgan saw two penalties converted by Ringrose and the momentum was with the Blue Bulls. The momentum was capitalised on with Brian Quinn scoring from a line-out which turned into a rolling maul. Great support play from the forwards ensured the grounding. Jimmy Meara was next to go on the scoreboard. Again from a lineout, Barnhall took possession and a ruck formed. Meara sniped from the back with five metres to go and there was no stopping him. Ringrose missed the conversion and the score went in at half time at 16 - 3. In the second half, Barnhall piled on even more pressure. Dave McCarthy, a player now visibly growing with confidence, scored yet another try. With a scrum to Barnhall on the half way, quick ball was sent to McCarthy who had it all to do. Did it stop him? Not a chance. McCarthy's speed is phenomenal and it appears that the tackles would not slow him down. In a Heaslip-esque moment of madness, McCarthy punched the air before touching down but this could be forgiven due to the quality of the score. Ringrose converted to bring the score to 23 - 3. The Blue were beginning to enjoy themselves out there with Brian Quinn getting in for another try, his third in the last two home games, and this after Declan Kenny had a try disallowed to the disbelief of the Barnhall faithful on the sideline. At 28 - 3, Ringrose got in for a try from a quick break from a lineout on the opposition twenty-two. With Malahide expecting the ball to go out the backs, he cut back in side and scored just left of the posts. Ringrose converted, 35 - 3. In the second last play of the game, McCarthey scored for the second time in the match, a player showing much promise for the future. Ringrose converted and the referee blew up for full time. A deserved 42 - 3 victory to Barnhall. Elsewhere in the league, North Kildare were unable to field a team against St. Mary's and have been deducted four points. Clontarf were beaten by Malahide which meant Barnhall are up to sixth in the league table, a very satisfying position to be in the inaugural year of this team. Next season will be a different prospect. The draw for the cup was also made this week with Barnhall drawing Malahide away on 27th March Barnhall 41 Monkstown 0 J4 League Barnhall J4 team were crowned league winners last Saturday following a resounding victory at home to Monkstown. On the day that Italy recorded a shock victory over the Scots and Ireland defeated the auld enemy at Twickenham the Barnhall J4 created their own piece of history as they secured Barnhall's first pennant in many a long day at adult level. Many great teams have tried and failed down through the years to bring league glory to Barnhall but full praise has to go to this gallant bunch of players on bringing home the spoils. Barnhall were always favoured to beat the last placed Monkstown who have not won a game in this section all season. From the opening kickoff when Ray Kelly charged up field Monkstown were always on the back foot. In fact this was a magnificent team performance that capped a memorable league campaign. Barnhall stormed into an early lead with early tries from Eoin Fitzpatrick (2) and Luke Ingleton. Two of these tries were converted by Kevin Conroy. A forth try followed by Ingleton that left the half time score 24 nil. The second half followed the same pattern as Barnhall increased their lead with three more tries from the flying winger Eoin Fitzpatrick, Declan ‘where did that speed come from' Kelly and the impressive Jonny Geoghegan. Geoghegan converted his own try. This left the final score 41 nil and confirmed Barnhall as league winners. Barnhall have had some excellent performances all season and on the day Eoin Fitz on the wing with 3 tries was exceptional. Fitzy has really come on leaps and bounds this season and has shown his versatility in adapting to rugby so easily. All the backs played exceptionally with Geoghegan at full back and wing, Kev Conroy until injured and the centre partnership of Gippy and Luke solid. At out half the old head of Leo Turley pulled the strings while Albert Nagel as always was a handful in the loose and made some telling runs. The forwards, who really had an easy day at the office, with uncontested scrums from the off, controlled their set pieces and contributed with one try from seven, which was actually pretty poor. But it has to be said that all the forwards set up an excellent platform for the backs to do their stuff. Special mention to Neil Beatty, Mick Mullin and Darragh Stafford in the front row. Neil Beatty who is also player manager and the brains of the operation along with Declan Big Show Flannery, gave way to the recently returned Dec Kelly, recently returned from the Usain Bolt school of running and what an effort. Probably should have had another try but dropped the ball because he was going so fast. The second row of the two bruisers Quinn and Hogan have matured into a Paul O Connell and Donnacha O Callaghan partnership. Pity there not as fully as the Irish duo. Finally the back row of the get down and dirty Ciaran Moloney, mark Dallas Lundy and the new lad from Galway young Ray Kelly, the man that can see through the opposition. The J4 team this year have put in a great effort. The ‘Big Show' has been there giving a dig out at all the games. It's the small guys like him that really make the team function. Beats and Mullin at training where their knowledge of the game and watching ‘Living with the Lions' 15 times has defiantly been of benefit. While Brian ‘Quigo' Quigley has provided expect analysis at training and match time. All the players have put their bodies on the line over the league campaign not least last Saturday night in the clubhouse where the art of tackling was explained to the rookies. Barnhall finish their league campaign away to Lansdowne this Saturday up in Stepaside, Ballycoris Road where they will be presented with their pennant and medals. The cup draws have been made and Barnhall are away to UCD on Saturday 27 th of March. Terenure College RFC 22 - 8 Barnhall RFC J5 - The weather in January and February has not been kind to the Lakelands pitch as again conditions were difficult to play on. Table-toppers Terenure having won all of their games in the league faced a spirited Barnhall team again suffering from injuries. Overall, the Blue-Bulls dominated in the scrum and Terenure could not take the pressure. In the backs, however, some slick passing benefited with three tries. The 'Nure out-half had a mixed day kicking with two conversions and a penalty but could have had more from the boot. The Barnhall backline saw some changes with Danny "DLES" Leonard standing in at second centre and he did not give an inch all day. His partner in the centre, Sean Reilly also put in some crunching tackles and made good ground with ball in hand. Anthony Cooney didn't step a foot wrong all day at six. The play of the game came, typically, from David Hanlon at out-half. At the restart from a Terenure try, Hanlon switched sides with the kick which was followed up by Dave McCarthy, with Hanlon in support, he won the ball back beating no fewer than four players to score a try. Unfortunately the kick was missed from a difficult angle. Earlier in the game, Hanlon had been successful with a penalty, claiming all points for the Blue on this day. As has become customary in these reports, special mention goes to the spirit of all fifteen on the day. Not once did heads drop, no fear nor respect was show for the opposition. With two games remaining, and Stillorgan up next at home, there is still the potential for Barnhall to climb a couple of places in the table. They deserve nothing less given the displays this season, their inaugural season. Barnhall 20 Greystones 15 J4 Barnhall and Greystones entered this game neck and neck at the top of the J4 league. Barnhall held a slender lead of 1 point going into this game and knew that a victory over their closest rivals would set them up finish the season in pole position. And following another hard fought battle it was the Blue Bulls that won the day on a scoreline of 20 points to 15. Barnhall began the game strongly and immediately put Greystones under pressure with some strong kicking from the experienced boot of Leo Turley at out half and excellent running from Collie Quinn, Paul Corscadden and Luke Ingleton. The first score came from the immense Michael Mullins who showed tremendous strength to score following a pick and drive. Kevin Conroy added the conversation to put Barnhall 7 nil up playing away from the clubhouse and with the slight breeze at their backs. Greystones hit back immediately when Barnhall were penalised for offside at the ruck. The diminutive Greystones number 10 made no mistake to put Greystones on the scoreboard. Barnhall did not panic and as Greystones came more into the game the home defence stood firm. On an excellent playing surface everyone tackled as if their lives depended on it and in particular the back row of Ciaran Moloney, Ray Kelly and Mark Lundy while Albert Nagel and the midfield pairing of Corscadden and Ingleton snuffed out the big Greystones centre who was their main point of attack. Time after time tackles were made and the Greystones treat was stopped. Barnhall true to their form all season ran the ball at every opportunity and following a great move in the backs Albert Nagel broke through for Barnhall's second try. Kevin Conroy converted again and Barnhall lead 14 – 3 coming up to the break. Greystones did get another opportunity to score a penalty but they missed as the referee blew for halftime. This left the score 14 3 at the half and Barnhall in a strong position. The second half started with Barnhall going for Greystones from the off and were immediately rewarded with a penalty from Kevin Conroy. The home crowd really started to get behind the J4's now as they sensed that this was going to be a big win. However this Greystones team were not going to lie down and immediately hit back to score a try in the corner that was not converted. Game on as Greystones sensed blood. But Barnhall came back again and but for some last ditch tackling by the Greystones wingers, Barnhall would have scored two tries with both Jack Foran and Eoin Fitzpatrick stopped short. From a scrum it was Turley who dropped a goal from 25 meters to put Barnhall 20 8 ahead with 15 minutes remaining. All over the field Barnhall were in control and then a moment of controversy as the referee awarded a 5 meter scrum to Greystones after the ball was kicked over the dead ball line by Turley. From this scrum Greystones scored a try and converted to bring just 5 points between the teams entering the closing stages. But again great credit goes to the pack who continued to out ruck a bigger and more experienced Greystones team that were running out of ideas and Barnhall finished the stronger remaining in Greystones territory as the final whistle sounded. This win puts Barnhall 4 points ahead of Greystones with two gamesleft and the league is very much in the hands of this team. Following on from this victory Barnhall play Monkstown next Saturday at home and then Lansdowne away the following week. This was a great team victory and performance with the 16 players used all stepping up to the plate and putting their bodies on the line. From young Simon O Shea, Jack Foran, Eoin Fitzpatrick to the strength of Quinn, Mullins and Shane Hogan and the experience of Moloney, Nagel and Ingleton Barnhall deserved this victory. Credit too to the excellent management team of player/manager Neil Beatty and the Big Show, Declan Flannery who kept the players oF their toes. Finally big mention to the other subs who didn't get on the park. They are every bit as important to the team and hopefully you will see action next Saturday against Monkstown. Team: Simon O Shea, Mick Mullins, Darragh Stafford, Shane Hogan, Collie Quinn, Kieran Moloney, Mark Lundy, Ray Kelly, Albert Nagel, Leo Turley, Eoin Fitzpatrick, Paul Corscadden, Luke Ingleton, Jack Foran, Kevin Conroy Barnhall piped in derby thriller. A thrilling game of rugby was played in the newest of rugby derby by games on Saturday when new boys to the senior ranks Navan RFC met Barnhall in division 3 of the AIL. Navan who were promoted to the senior ranks last year have performed well in division three this year. The home side were warm favourites to take full honours from this game based on the recent AIL performances of both sides. The game opened with a fast and furious exchange of play and Paul Burke received a heavy knock which hampered his normal flowing rugby in the first half of the game. Navan started more positively and Barnhall were forced to dig deep to keep the swift running and fast passed passing game favoured by the Navan team at bay. An early penalty for Ryan Roberts was to be the only return on the score board for the home side as the tenacity of the visitors defence prevented any significant progress by the Meath team. Barnhall did push hard and the Barnhall back row of Brian Hennebry, Barry Dunne and Tom McKeown were back to the familiar best and imposed them selves in the loose play causing difficulties for the home side. A series of phases brought Barnhall to within eight meters of the Navan line and a quick ball from the scrum was moved by Philip Caudwell to full back Gerome Bidau and Frenchman touched down close to the corner flag. Leo Quinn missed the difficult conversion. At three points to five it was already clear that this was going to be a high scoring game Navan were undaunted by the try and pushed Barnhall all the way and only strong tackling and hard forward play kept the home side at bay. Barnhall did find the speedy backs hard to handle and the movement of the ball along the Navan back line was impressive. Navan did appear to get a touch down in the corner but much to the disappointment of the locals winger Mark Harrington was adjudged to have touched the corner flag before the touch down and the try was disallowed. Navan did create a number of chances in this period but this inventiveness was halted when Navan no 8 Lee Jackson was adjudged to have foot tripped Caudwell and he was given a yellow card and a ten minute rest for his efforts. Barnhall took full advantage of the numerical superiority and quick ball movement saw the ball being shipped to Eamon Daly who crossed over close to the corner flag for a well worked try. Quinn added the two points creating a little space between the sides at 3 points to twelve. Despite the efforts of both sides the half time score remained at 3 points to twelve. From the kick off of the second half Navan went in search for glory. First blood did go to the Meath team with a well worked try for Harington after a speculative chip down the previously injured Burkes wing. Roberts missed the conversion and the score stood at eight points to twelve. Within five minutes Barnhall had put a stamp of authority on the game when Daly found himself in the open and he won the race to the corner flag touching down for his second try of the afternoon. Quinn slotted home the difficult kick and at 8 points to 19 it was looking good for the Barnhall blues. The home side were a little shell shocked by the widening gap and Daly was again in action within four minutes after a series of strong play by Lorris Zaglio and Dunne which saw another set of quick hands releasing the burley Barnhall centre so score his third try of the afternoon out wide. Quinn narrowly missed but at 8 points to 24 it looked like it was going to be Barnhall's winning day. The game became quite scrappy at this stage as subs were added on both sides and Barnhall added another four changes in addition to the earlier replacement for Paul Burke. The haste in brining on all five replacements was to prove very costly as Barnhall had to work hard to keep the Young Navan team under the cosh. A mistake by Jackson prevented a certain Navan try when he held on too long and was swamped only yards short. Navan were not about to throw in the towel and a well worked try for Dermot Gerraghty and converted by Brooks gave a major boost to the home side. Progress for Navan was not halted when the second yellow card was given as within minutes Eamon Daly limped off with a knock and with five Barnhall subs already on the field no replacement could be introduced so both sides were reduced to 14 men. With less than ten minutes to go Brooks added a well taken penalty and at 18 points to 24 the last few minutes would be a major struggle for the under strength visitors. As the pace of the game increased and the intensity of the tackling heightened Barnhall were throwing everything into the game to protect the six point lead. John lark was adjudged to be a little over exuberant in defence and he saw yellow with five minutes of normal time remaining. Navan were now back to full strength and the well supported game had a truly grand stand finish in prospect with 15 locals facing the 13 visitors. Barnhall held on to full time while Navan piled everything into the last gasp effort and threw all fifteen players and the preverbal kitchen sink into the last play. John Duffy got the final touch down two minutes into added time after a major assault on the Barnhall line. This left Brooks with difficult task to take the winning kick with the sides poised at 23 points to 24. The difficult corner flag kick sailed high and through the posts much to the delight of the home supporters. Brooks had registered an unlikely 25 points to 24 win creating a legend like comeback achievement in the first AIL derby game between the two sides. While Navan emerged winners and are four points to the good Barnhall came away with two bonus points one for the narrow defeat by less than seven points and one bonus point for scoring four try's. Despite the defeat Barnhall will feel some momentum has come from the incredible efforts shown in the last minutes of this exciting and entertaining game. Not quite up with the Spartans but an excellent level of commitment and determination was shown by the 13 Barnhall players that finished the game. Malahide RFC 42 - 7 Barnhall RFC J5 Injuries, illness and emigration would effect the Blue Bulls in their attempt to complete the double over Malahide on Saturday past. Richie O'Reilly and Brian Quinn, both with ankle injuries, Jim Smith down with a stomach bug and Ronan O'Reilly had flown the nest to start a new life in Bournemouth. With these key players missing, Larkin and Mousley had to make some creative changes with Ivan Ellerker starting at scrum half and Gareth Ringrose moving to out half. Mousley also started at Number 8, in for Quinn. Conditions were perfect for a game of rugby. The game started poorly for Barnhall and blushes were spared early on when Malahide were in for a a try only for Declan Kenny to tackle the Malahide centre in over the dead ball line. Malahide piled on the pressure, however, and it was not long until they had scored. The conversion was missed from kickable distance but Malahide did not stop there. It was not long before they had scored again, this time with the conversion points rewarded also, it had the makings of a long day for Barnhall. Barnhall appeared unsettled through the majority of the first half and tries were being scored with relative ease. It must be said though that not once did heads drop. There were similarities in this game to previous games in the season, the match had started off poorly, but a spirit and pride remained. With ten minutes to go in the first half, The Blue began to build a momentum and the forwards, having a physical battle all day, began to impose themselves on a tiring Malahide pack. Ellerker and Ringrose switched positions and this in itself built further momentum. From a Barnhall line out, Ray Tyndall rose highest to claim and pop to Ringrose who took a step inside the Malahide outhalf and set for the maul. Ferguson, Tyndall, Cooney and Larkin were close by and drove the maul forward. Barnhall were on the try line when the Malahide shove came and pushed Barnhall back five metres. Ringrose, still with the ball in the middle, managed to squirm out of the ruck at the side and burst forward only to be tackled a few feet from the line. Ringrose unloaded in the tackle to Larkin who showed magnificent quick hands to feed Padraig Carton on the wing. Carton took on two players and dived for the line in the corner. Ringrose converted. Malahide dominated the match up front. Their full-back and second centre showed some skill and proved difficult to stop but Frankie Cullen, who had obviously not read the script made some fantastic try saving tackles when all appeared to be lost. Frankie epitomised the spirit that exists within this team, there is a "never say die" attitude in every game. There were very few positives to be taken from the game whereby Malahide looked the better team but one thing is for certain, there is a team being built in Barnhall at this level. As said in previous match reports, this season is one about building a foundation and developing the J5 team. A huge percentage of the squad had never played rugby before this season, and now, every week they go out and put there body on the line with pride in themselves and for Barnhall. There is a genuine feeling that in every game played, there is the potential to win and this is not naivety either. Looking at the league table, it is true that Barnhall are at the foot but one must also look at the points scored and conceded. No one can say that this is a team merley making up the numbers. The result at Malahide can only be viewed as a slight set back in what has been a positive season development of this team. Man of the match: Frankie Cullen - he never gave up. Next match for the Barnhall J5s is away to league leaders Terenure on 27 February. No Joy for Barnhall in trip to Joyce country. Better team work and better football skills were the undoing of Barnhall in Clifden on Saturday. Travelling to the west with a great deal of confidence following positive performances against high flying teams in re cent weeks Barnhall had a quiet air about the ability to gain full points from the struggling Connemara all blacks side. The home side have struggled against most sides this year. However the home performances have tended to be of a higher intensity and no one expected an easy task. Connemara started the game with a furious passage of play and Barnhall commenced the heavy duty job of defending a solid pack and determined backs running at every opportunity. Daryl Furlong was on the wrong side of a refereeing decision on seven minutes and saw yellow and a spell in the bin. While down to fourteen men the home side pushed hard for an early advantage. Leo Quinn was quick to pounce on a loose pass and the interception saw him race clear for the line. An excellent popped pass out to Dave Stewart on the wing say the pace Barnhall back cross in the corner. To add further salt into the all blacks wounds Quinn converted the most unlikely and difficult conversion to register a full seven points against the run of play and reduced to fourteen men. The pace of the game quickly slowed down as the home side began to play a forwards slow and deliberate game which left the visitors without the ball for long periods. Solid defending and strong tackling by Barry Dunne, Brian Hennebry and Gareth Murray coupled by some successful high lofted kicking by Quinn and Cauldwell kept Barnhall in front and away from any danger from the athletic Blacks back line. On 30 minutes Quinn landed a 26 meter penalty to stretch the lead to ten points at 0 points to ten and this signalled a higher effort from the home side. Sean Joyce had missed two penalties and a drop goal attempt in the early stages of the game but his penalty effort from 29 meters on 35 minutes sailed home with some to spare. Buoyed by the success and by the successful defence displayed by the Blacks back line Joyce began to probe the Visitors with a series of chips lobs and high kicks which ultimately gave rise to a second penalty effort from just outside the 22 and again Joyce landed the points on 43 minutes of the first period. From the restart and playing with a good breeze Connemara were by far the more confident team. Joyce appeared to be resuming his early first half form with place kicks as he spurned a good opportunity on nine minutes. With constant pressure now being applied to the Barnhall centre a switch saw David Steward reverting to his normal centre position and Dean Jameson being replaced by Mark Kenny. Connemara continued to show good football skills with Alan Keogh playing a terrific game at fool back. Keogh Paddy O'Toole and David McDonagh all fired high and difficult return kicks on top of the Barnhall defence. Gerome Bideau gave another fine performance in the blue short but was unable to make any progress as he was constantly pinned back. Poor tactical decision making and badly timed and placed kicks into the very competent Connemara back three only heaped work in defence on to the Barnhall pack. The late introduction of John Lark and the effective and abrasive Lauris Zagilo was not enough to unhinge the home side now growing in confidence. As the pressure rose the penalty count went with it and in a ten minute spell Joyce added two out of three to edge in front by 12 points to 10. The Barnhall response was encouraging and good possession was won by Zagilo and by Tom McKeown but the Connemara back row was well up for the task and defended well. Panic decision making at the base of the scrum and at the breakdown saw Barnhall take a series of wrong options towards the close of play with Quinn missing a mid range drop goal and three minutes later a much longer effort from the ten meter line. In a last gasp effort to win the game a loose pass offered an intercept to Dave Newman who won the race to the corner flag and touched down for a game relieving try for the home side. Joyce missed the difficult conversion much to the relief of the large group of Barnhall supporters. The 17 points to 10 win added to the momentum of the Connemara club in the efforts to avoid relegation. The one point bonus for Barnhall was of little comfort as the Kildare club begin to slide down the division three table. Barnhall 39 North Kildare 0 Saturday in Parsonstown meant ideal conditions for a great day of rugby. Barnhall off the back of a narrow defeat with Clondalkin RFC and North Kildare having beaten Stillorgan. It was a fast paced hard battled game from the start and there was little between the teams for the first fifteen minutes. North Kildare won a penalty just left off the posts but the kick was just wide off the mark. In contrast to Barnhall's most recent games, they were first to notch points on the board. Crashing runs from Matt Crehan and Collie Quinn gaining ground. Att the ruck, John Moran and Dave Ferguson were cleaning well allowing for quick ball to Conroy at out half. As has become expected, Conroy had a sensational game and scored from the move. Conroy also converted. Seven nil. Barnhall did not ease the pressure at all and pounced again direct from the kick off. Dave McCarthy, making his second start in a row, this time on the right wing, scored the next try, a tremendous individual try. When McCarthy received the ball twenty five metres out, he was found isolated. The expectation from the crowd was that McCarthy would hold it up, but he had other ideas. No less than five men were beaten from a run that saw McCarthy run from one wing to the other and touch down for a well deserved try. Again Conroy was accurate with the kick. Fourteen nil. North Kildare did make inroads towards the Barnhall line and would have been disappointed to hear the half time whistle go just as they had given away a penalty inside the Barnhall twenty-two. The second half started very much like the first and there was not much between the teams, however, the first fifteen minutes of this half were spent in the North Kildare half. In a move of consistent pressure twenty metres short of the line, Barnhall were awarded a penalty for holding on to the ball. Ringrose took quickly but was tackled by players who had not retreated. The penalty was brought forward and Barnhall elected for the scrum. Brian Quinn picked from the back of the scrum and in a fantastic drive got over the line for the score. Conroy kicked again, this time from a very difficult angle and the points were secured. Twenty one nil. Barnhall were filling with confidence and it could be seen from their play but they refused to give an inch. Brian Quinn must have been imagining giving the details to his mates in the bar about how he had scored until about two minutes later when, his brother Collie, collected the ball from the restart, inside his own twenty two and literally ran through everyone to score in the same place. Conroy was unfortunate not to make this kick but again it was from a very difficult angle. Twenty six nil. Substitute Dave Walsh was next on the score sheet. Dave had filled in at Prop having replaced John Moran and was contesting well in the scrum. In a rolling maul move ten metres from the North Kildare line, Dave broke with support from Jim Smith and got over the line for his first try for Barnhall J5s. Conroy was unlucky not to convert. Thirty-one nil. To round off a fantastic game, Conroy got in for his second try of the game right at the flag. Thirty six nil. In the last play of the game, with Barnhall camped inside the North Kildare territory, North Kildare gave away a penalty between the posts. The referee mentioned it was the last kick of the game and with every point important, Ringrose elected for Conroy to kick for the posts. Conroy was successful and the game ended Thirty-nine nil. Man of the match: Kevin Conroy scoring ninteen of Barnhall's thrity nine points. A fine display. Fast starting Barnhall unable to topple table toppers Midleton. Barnhall entered the latest home game in the AIL with some degree of trepidation as opponents Midleton had a 100% record in all of this seasons encounters. Last years game in Cork proved to be a very difficult assignment for the Barnhall blues and this game was going to require all the fire power Barnhall had available to them. On the eve of the game man of the match for the past two outings Tom McKeown and Influential back Eamon Daly both pulled out of the fixture due to injury making the task that bit more daunting. The boys in blue however shrugged off any fears for this game and from the off took the game to a blistering pace. The opening salvos from the forward and the accurate out of hand kicking from Leo Quinn shocked the entire Midleton team. Before the visitor could settle in any way Barry Dunne, Ben Harrison, Sean O Mara, Peter Courtney and Philip Cauldwell were busy pressurising Midleton into errors and keeping them on the back foot. After some sublime play from the parsonstower's including five phases of clean possession Quinn moved the ball wide and Paul Burke bullied his way over the line for a well worked try close to the touch line. Quinn missed the difficult kick but the opening 20 minutes was all Barnhall with only snippets of solid defensive play giving any indication of quality in the Midleton team. Indeed the only opportunity Midleton had in the opening quarter was a short range penalty gifted by Cauldwell after an offside about 27 meters out from goal. Midleton's Paul Whelan began a miserable day with the boot by missing this short range effort. Leo Quinn also had a poor return with place kicks missing three out of four attempts in this opening period. The one success came from short range on fifteen minutes to establish an eight points to nil score much to the appreciation of the good sized crowd. The visitors did begin to assert themselves in the forwards winning good possession from lines outs and developing a good platform from a series of driving mauls that caused significant difficulties for the home side. Midleton increased in confidence and the pressure came on the backline in waves with Cauldwell giving great examples of superb tackling. The pressure told on 36 minutes when another driving maul brought the Midleton pack close to the Barnhall line and with a mass of bodies falling on the ball it was adjudged that the no 6. Barry Sweeney touched down close to the corner flag. Whelan missed the difficult kick but made amends five minutes later with a short range penalty levelling the game at 8 points each. By the half time break the crowd had been treated to a fast and furious game with nothing between the sides. Barnhall appeared to have a more balanced side with Midleton shading the forward exchanges. It was expected that an error or a yellow card could be the decider between these well matched sides. From the restart Mildeton moved the ball to Junior Sifa and his speculative kick down the right wing was not coped with too well and the innocuous kick was hacked along by Sifa and he won the race to the line again crossing close to the touch line. Whelan again missed the conversion but at 8 points to 13 Midleton had delivered a body blow to the boys in blue. Harrison exited the game with a knock after an excellent performance in the loose throughout the first half. Barnhall did get some more quality possession from the line out in the second half but much of the possession fell to the well tuned Midleton pack. Again strong defensive play kept Midleton at bay and kept the games result in question for most of the half. 20 minutes into the second half Barry Sweeney saw yellow for obstruction and Barnhall saw a glimmer of hope. Cauldwell jumped on a half chance and snipped his way down the blind side and worked his way over the line in what looked like a great try. Play was pulled back as the linesman had spotted a similar infringement which saw Sweeney taking a ten minute rest and cancelled the try and gave a penalty to Midleton. Lifter by the good fortune Midleton pushed hard and the stout Barnhall defence held out until a series of penalties were conceded and Whelan did convert the conversion to create a gap of eight points between the teams at 8 points to sixteen. The pace of the game may have taken its toll on the Midleton players as the last ten minutes were error strewn and the decision making when in possession was poor. In the dyeing moments having won several phases of possession an overlap of three appeared on the wing and slow reactions from Troy Smith wasted the opportunity. Cauldwell and Paul Burke gave it there all in defence and in the vain attempts to attack and get something out of the game. Despite the effort Barnhall could not dent the Visitors defence and the score remained at 8 points to 16 at the final whistle. Despite the loss Barnhall again proved they have come a long way since last year. With last weeks performance and the determination shown on Saturday against the league leaders this young side has demonstrated they have the class and game to compete in division 3 of the AIL.
Clondalkin RFC v Barnhall J5 - 30 January 2010 Analysing previous matches, Barnhall knew that the first ten minutes of this game would be critical and they started well. Richie O'Reilly lead the line with some crunching takles from the beginning and a marker was laid down, this was not going to be an easy day for Clondalkin, However, fifteen minutes in, communication in defence let Barnhall down and Clondalkin were in for an easy try between the posts. Kick converted, seven nil. Not long afterwards, Clondalkin were in again but this time the kick was missed. Twelve nil. Trailing by a couple of tries was becoming known territory for Barnhall but not one head was down. There was a sense within the team that this match was far from over. Clondalkin scored their third try of the game and if anything, this seemed to kick Barnhall into action. They had enjoyed a lot of possession during the game and were creating inroads but that final push was proving evasive. Barnhall knew that there was no way they were going to let this match be a drumming and the pressure began on Clondalkin. O'Neill kicked well from hand all day and was gaining territory. Ten minutes to go in the first half, the Clondalkin Number 8 gave away a penalty between the posts. With the choice of a kick running the ball, Ringrose opted for the tap and go with Conroy feeding O'Neill. O'Neill, with a burst of pace went wide and left with Clondalking only able to watch. A deserved try in the corner. The pitch still not doing anyone any favours, the converstion was missed by Conroy. Seventeen five. Barnhall continued the pressure but the score remained the same when the half time whistle went. Barnhall picked up whre they left off in the second half and spent much of their time camped in the Clondalkin half. Conroy and Crehan were having great game with were unstoppable with ball in hand. Crehan, at one point took a ball at the back of ruck and burst forward with three Clondalkin men trying to drag him down, there was no stopping him. Clondalkin presented a challenge in the forwards and with a pitch likened to a swamp in some patches, the scrum was never going to be easy but Conway was sniping all day and was devestating at the back. Every possession equalled a gain in territory and Conway's tackling could be felt for miles. The pressure was mounting and it was starting to tell for Clondalkin as they were in no rush for their restarts. Barnhall continued to barge their way towards the try line. With ten metres out, the referee gave Barnhall a penalty. Ringrose took advantage of where Clondalkin were standing and took the quick tap and go only to be dump-tackled after about two metres. A minor scuffle insued and the referee had no choice but to sin-bin the Clondalkin Number 8. Barnhall went for the tap and go again with Conroy gaining ground. Some desperate but strong defending from Clondalkin on their own line and Cooney was very unluck to lose the ball forward in a tackle right on the line. Barnahall knew this is where they wanted to be. Barnhall continued to enjoy possession and territory indiscipline was allowing Barnhall to gain ground through quick penalties. With Barnhall five metres out, Clondalkin again gave away a penalty. Seeing that the referee was giving advantage, Ringrose threw the ball on the ground to get the penalty, quickly took it and went for the line. There was no way Clondalkin were going to be able to retreat the ten that quickly and of course put in the tackle on Ringrose within inches of the line. The referee was again given no choice and the penalty try was awarded. O'Neill converted. Seventeen twelve. Brian Quinn through injury had been pulled from the starting fifteen during the warm up due to an ankle injury.With fifteen to go, Quinn could take no more of watching from the sideline and the replacement was made. With his first touch, Quinn breached the gain line and made about eight metres almost scoring. The following possession saw Jim Smith, as pack leader, get over for the try in the corner. A difficult kick for O'Neill which, unfortunately, did not not go over. Seventeen all. In the last piece of possession in the game, Clondalkin scored a devestating try against the run of play. There is some suggestion that there may have been two forward passes within the last phase but the try was given and the conversion scored. An unjust final score of twenty-four seventeen with Clondalkin the victors. In the Barnhall ranks, there was certainly disappointment that the early points were leaked but positives must be taken from the game. With Quinn and Tyndall injured, Michael Mousley had a great game at Numer 8. John Moran, at prop, deserved special mention with great counter-rucking and disruption in the front row of the scrum, all this from a man who started his rugby career as a full-back! Dave McCarthy made his deserved full-debut at full back and had an admirable performance. Dave's earning of his debut shows how competitive it is getting for places at the Barnahll J5 level. Unfortunately, this game would be the last for Ronan O'Neill as he ventures across the pond to Bournmouth to live. It is fair to say that Rusty has been a backbone to the Barnhall team, not only to the J5 this year, but to the club as a whole over the last number of years. Barnhall RFC wish Ronan, every success for the future. Man of the match: Kevin Conroy Banbridge RFC Best as Barnhall end pointless. An Icy fog didn't deter the crowds from visiting rifle Park on Saturday for the Banbridge RFC V Barnhall game. The added interest in this game was the return of Irish international Rory Best following his recovery from a recent neck injury. Expectations were high for a tough game with both sides stepping up the efforts in the presence of such an experienced and accomplished international rugby player. Before any player could assert any positive influence on his team or the game a defensive error gifted a try to Banbridge captain Simon McKinnstry who touched down close to the left hand side. Outhalf Adam Ervine failed with the conversion attempt. It wasn't long before the pattern of the game was established as a torrid forward battle with much of the pressure coming from a determined Banbridge pack. Barnhall defended brilliantly for much of the first half but opportunities to progress were few. Man of the match for Banbridge Colin Bickerstaff proved quite a handful as his power aggression and athleticism proved to be more than a handful for the Barnhall pack. Along with Best and McKinnstry the home pack dominated large parts of the first half. Excellent line out possession coming from Bests accurate throw in's gave a major platform for attack and Barnhall performed well to keep the home side to 5 points. After a headless moment of madness Bickerstaff was given a yellow for an infringement on Greg Boland but Barnhall were unable to capitalise on the absence of the influential prop. After 35 minutes Bickerstaff returned and in a furious passage of play Philip Cauldwell conceded a penalty by killing the ball on the ground. In his ten minute spell Banbridge did increase the pressure and on 38 minutes following a great forward drive the ball was popped to Ervine who again crossed close to the side line. A second defensive error was pounced on by the home side and in a display of quick hands and swift passing between forwards and backs the ball finally found Jordan Weir and he cut his way across the try line mid way between the posts and the side line. Ervine added the conversion and at 17 points to nil it looked as if Barnhall were looking at the prospect of a very heavy defeat. For the opening 20 minutes of the second half the home side pushed hard for a fourth try and a bonus point. Again excellent play by The Barnhall pack held the line and prevented any progress by the Banbridge team. As the fog thickened Banbridge made several substitutions including Best. Barnhall's response was to empty the bench which was made up of five under 21 players and all played a major part in turning the fortunes of this game. Ray Dufficy, Ben Harrison, Sean O'Mara and Eamon Daly in particular made a significant difference and with the introduction of Leo Quinn Barnhall began to look like a more potent force. A number of chances were created by Cauldwell, Paul Burke and the famous five but Banbridge proved to be quite effective in defence and little came of the increased pressure Barnhall created. In the last minutes of the game it was quite difficult to see what individuals were actually playing with the fog closing in. An excellent passage of play resulted in a swift move down the left hand side which was well supported by Daly, Burke and Dufficy resulted in Barry Dunne crossing over for a well deserved try. It was difficult to pick out any one star performance from the visiting team. Tom McKeown was immense throughout and along with Greg Boland, and Barry Dunne they accounted for an enormous amount of the tackle count. Despite the loss to the high flying northerners Barnhall did come away with many lessons learned and several reputations enhanced. Barnhall 27 Stillorgan 0 Last Saturday 23 rd of January Barnhall J4's recorded a comprehensive victory at home to Stillorgan to maintain their 100% home record for the season and more importantly remain top of their league. With just 4 league games to go Barnhall have put themselves in a commanding position to claim league honours. The game was played in very cold foggy conditions and Barnhall dominated from the outset. All 15 players played their parts in an excellent team performance. Barnhall dominated all aspects of the game with the pack dominant at lineout and in the scrums. It was from one of theses lineout's that Barnhall scored their first try after 10 minutes when Ciaran Moloney pounced on a loose tap from the Stillorgan forwards to score an opportunist try. Barnhall went on to score two more tries in the first half from Jonathan Geoghegan and Darragh Stafford while Leo Turley converted one of these. This left the half time score at 17 – 0. Barnhall 15 St Marys 15 Due to adverse weather conditions experienced over the last month, it was the 16th of December when Barnhall last played, but the momentum from the victory achieved that day could still be felt within the squad. Weather too was to effect the day with havy fog enveloping Parsonstown. So much so that the referee conferred with the Leinster Branch for guidance as to whether the match should be played. As the referee could see the posts clearly on either end of the pitch from half way, the game was to go ahead. The match started off disappointingly for Barnhall with a try conceded within the first few minutes. At the first ruck, a trailing foot caused Ringrose to knock on giving a strong St Mary's side a scrum from ten meters out. The number eight picked and broke a couple of tackles before a ruck was formed, the ball was spread to the opposite wing through quick hands and the score was five nil. The difficult conversion kick was missed. Hanlon restarted and Barnhall began to exert some pressure only for another mistake to lead to a second try for Mary's. An easier conversion this time but again missed. Ten nil. Barnhall regrouped under the posts and it was clear to see that there was no panic. We knew we could perform better and it was time to show what we could do. Again Hanlon with the restart and Jim Smith was first to most kicks. The forwards worked very well together and St Marys were beginning to creak under the pressure. St Mary's were giving away penalties and Barnhall were gaining territorial possession with a master class in kicking for touch from Hanlon. With ten minutes to go in the first half, Barnhall were camped in the Mary's half, most of the time inside the twenty two. Barnhall lineout, Cooney with a perfect top-of-the-jump throw to Quinn who popped to Ringrose at scrum-half. Ringrose immediately to Hanlon who ran parallel to the gain line dummying a pop to O'Reilly at first centre. St Mary's were obviously expecting another dummy or a long pass and drifted. Hanlon took advantage of the gap and stepped inside with pace only to be stopped momentarily just short of the line. Peter Black was there to support and pushed Hanlon over. Hanlon converted his own try to make it ten seven. Barnhall continued to move up the gears for the remainder of the half and Mary's were clearly feeling it when they kicked out to end the half. The second half started as the first half ended and Barnhall were at home in the St Mary's half. The Barnhall pack had an amazing performance and drove steadily in every scrum. On more than one occasion, the referee was heard telling the Mary's scrum that they needed to take the weight more. It appeared as though they were shying away from the engagement. With pressure mounting, St Mary's gave away a penalty which Hanlon converted from distance. With the score at ten all, there was a sense of optimism within the team that an upset was on the cards. A momentary lapse in concentration saw Barnhall commit too many to the ruck within the twenty two which Mary's exploited by spreading to the far side of the pitch for a try. Unfortunately for Marys, the number ten was not having a great day kicking from the ground and the conversion was missed. Fifteen ten. Ivan Ellerker had come on at half time and was proving resourceful on the wing. With every possession, Ellerker was passing the gain line. In a pressure move that saw an over lap for Barnhall, Ellerker made a stunning dash for the line to equalise again. Hanlon was unfortunate not to convert from the touchline and missed narrowly. In possibly the last play of the game, Hanlon was again involved in a try saving takle when covering back, Mary's had no more to give and Barnhall were praying for more time to get the victory. Still camped within the Mary's twenty two, Barnhall did not ease up and when the referee blew the whistle for full time, Mary's may well have felt relief. The match and result were further evidence of the progress the Barnhall J5 time is making in its first season. In a touch of class at the end of the game, the Barnhall J4 team clapped us off. Congratulations to them also having won an impressive five try victory against Stillorgan. Man of the match: David Hanlon. Barnhall 17 Stillorgan 11 J4 League Barnhall continued their winning ways with a hard fought victory away to Stillorgan on Saturday last (12/12/09). This was a re fixture of a game that was abandoned due to extreme weather at the end of October. Barnhall started the game very strongly and immediately took control on a heavy pitch. They were in front after 10 minutes when Leo Turley stormed through the middle to score Barnhall's first try. It was a try the out half converted himself. He then followed it up with another try and conversation after 20 minutes to leave the score 14 nil. Barnhall were dominant in most positions for the first 20 minutes with some strong forward play setting the platform for the backs to show their talents. In fact Barnhall should have had at least two more tries but came up short. Barnhall's last score of the game came after 30 minutes when Turley dropped a goal from the 22. The score was now 17 nil. Barnhall lost the influential Collie Fallon to injury after 25 minutes and this disrupted the back line. Some poor discipline from Barnhall allowed Stillorgan to get a penalty before half time which left the score 17 – 3 at the break. Barnhall began the second half on the back foot with Stillorgan picking up their game. Their out half put in some big kicks that gave them good field position and they got a penalty in front of the posts to bring the scoreline to 17 – 6 with 30 minutes to play. Barnhall upped their game again and pushed forward but a second serious injury to Micky Finn meant that Barnhall had lost two centres during the game. Barnhall introduced a number of subs because of this and had to change their pack and backline that disrupted their play and concentration. Stillorgan took advantage of this and scored a try in the corner following a well worked lineout. The conversation was missed and this proved to be the last score of the game. Both teams had opportunities to add to the score that finished 17 11 in Barnhall's favour. This result puts Barnhall 4 points clear in the J4 league. On Wednesday night 16 th December they play Greystones who currently lie second in a top of the table clash in Greystones. Griggs bags all the points to down sweet and sour Barnhall. Barnhall were left shaking there heads in disbelief after playing there way into difficulties and ultimately loosing this keenly contested encounter at the JJ McDowell Memorial Grounds in Sutton on Saturday. Both teams served up spells of fantastic rugby and displayed significant skills in attack and defence throughout the game. Barnhall will however view the game as one that got away as they had significant momenturm twice in this game and both times gifted the advantage and the ultimate win to the home side. Barnhall started by far the brighter side with more purpose and desire in the opening phases of the game. The Barnhall back row and particularly Tom McKeown proving a total menace to the Suttonians side forces errors and ultimately two penalty attempts in the opening eight minutes. Unfortunately Leo Quinn failed with both efforts from 23 meters and 44 meters and despite total superiority did not register any points for this advantage. On the first visit to the Barnhall half Suttonians did win a penalty and up stepped Adam Griggs to confidently open up the Suttonians account at 3 points to nil. Griggs proved to be more then a handful for Barnhall as he snipped regularly and popped up everywhere throughout this game. Barnhall showed metal following the Suttonians score and for the next twenty five minutes peppered the home defence time and again with David Farrell, Griggs, Mick O Shea, Joe McDonagh and David Walsh all giving a good account of themselves with strong first up tackling. David Stewart and Paul Burke probed constantly and Burke made a telling run about thirty minutes in to the first half and this kick started a ten minute spell where Barnhall totally dominated play. Conor Feeney playing well at No 13 was prominent in a great break which was supported by McKeown. Eoin Burke got fast possession fro the breakdown and cut deeply into the Suttonians defence passing the back line and crossing over in the corner. Quinn missed the difficult kick and at three points to five it looked like Barnhall would close out the half with little to show for the dominance in this game. Eoin Burke made another fine break four minutes into injury time and put Dean Jameson away with a short run to the Suttonians line. Quinn hit a wonderful conversion and at 3 points to 12 it looked like a fair return for the effort. All around the ground were expecting the final whistle for the first half shortly after the drop out when a speculative kick was picked up by Paul Burke deep in the Barnhall 22. Burke elected to chip the ball out of defence only to see it being picked up by Farrell who popped the ball to Griggs fifteen meters out and he burst over the line under the posts. Griggs added the points to his own try thus narrowing the gap to 10 points to 12. From the restart of the second half Suttonians were more confident and urgent in there play. Griggs was popping up everywhere and for then minutes caused no shortage of challenges for Barnhall. A penalty on nine minutes gave Suttonians the lead for the first time in the game. Barnhall again performed well in the forwards and a speculative clearance from Suttonians was not returned well and the follow up play along the left wing gave Griggs another platform and his quick burst for the line went unimpeded and he crossed over mid way between the touch line and the goal posts. Again Griggs converted his own try and at 20 points to 12 Barnhall were shell shocked. Again John lark marshalled his men and the introduction of Philip Furlong, Ray Dufficy and Brian Hennebry looked to add some further drive to the Barnhall pack. Barnhall again took over the dominance of the play and two penalties in quick succession one from Quinn and a second from 25 meters was well taken by Eoin Burke now playing at the outhalf position with the replacement of Quinn who picked up a knock made the score 20 points to 18. With ten minutes remaining Barnhall looked confident enough to recapture the lead and go on to win the game. A second penalty attempt from 28 meters for Burke was pushed wide and from the restart Suttonians moved down the middle of the field and won quick possession allowing David Walsh to make a decent break followed up by Griggs who crossed the line in the left corner for his third time. Griggs failed with the conversion but was successful with a penalty attempt three minutes later to stretch the lead to ten points at 28 points to 18. Suttonians pushed hard to get the get a fourth try and a bonus point. A second lengthy period of added time arose in the second half mostly due to the constant attention sought by Darragh Mulligan. Three periods in the first half and two in the second period added to his advice and guidance to the officials made Mulligan look more like a Turkish goalkeeper then a serious rugby player. His efforts detracted from the Trojan work done by his teammates who deserved the spoils for taking full advantage of the opportunities gifted to them by Barnhall. Hats off also to Adam Griggs for the fantastic effort and scoring prowess he displayed on the day. North Kildare 7 v Barnhall 5th XV 0 Preparation for the match against North Kildare was never going to be difficult given the history of local rivalry. "Anto's Army" had turned up in their numbers for training during the week and the tension could be cut with a knife in the dressing room before the game. Pre-match talks centred around our proud history and channeling the tension into intensity on the pitch. Needless to say the boys in blue did not disappoint when it came to physicality. In the first play of the game, Tyndall was taregeted at the back of a ruck and needed to be sidelined for some treatment. Barnhall showed great discipline and the tackles went in harder. North Kildare, playing downhill in the first half, enjoyed some good possession inside the Barnhall twenty two and and only for some first class defending, the scoreline would have been very different. The turning point in the first half was a North Kildare scrum, five metres from the Barnhall line, that was won against the head. With credit to the pack, they didn't give an inch all day in the scrum, against a noticeably bigger North Kildare side. For the second week running the playing surface was very heavy underfoot and the benefit of the fitness sessions in Parsonstown proved beneficial. Barnhall too enjoyed possession and the forwards gained a lot of territory through their pick-and-go moves simliar to the previous week against Stillorgan. Unfortunately, Barnhall could not capitalise and some choice decisions against Barnhall ass isted in keeping the scoreline as it was. The first half ended nil all. The second half started much the same as the first half ended. Both teams enjoying equal possession and struggling to get points on the board. Gavin Delaney, making his first start for the Blue, had a great game with crunching tackles and several breaks across the gain line. Quinn, at number eight had another great game and his moves from the back of the scrum were causing North Kildare serious problems. Richie O'Reilly was first up to tackle on many occasions and North Kildare began to run less down the middle as a result. With 15 minutes to go in the game, against the run of play, North Kildare began a maul that proved difficult to stop and they gained the best part of ten metres. In a split second lapse in concentration, the ball was taken into the back line and with one pass, North Kildare were over the line. In typical form, Barnhall went straight back down the pitch and the last fifteen proved nervy for North Kildare as they tried to slow down the game. The Blue showed tenacity until the 80th minute but could not cross the line for the points. Barnhall continue to search for that elusive first win but the signs are all showing continued improvement and that win, they feel is just around the corner. Next game will be against Malahide at home, a win there would be great start to the Christmas break.
Stillorgan RFC 20 v Barnhall 7 Due to the recent weather, the pitch at Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh was very heavy underfoot and made the Barnhall running game very difficult. Stillorgan started off the better team and scored an early try but failed to convert. "Anto's Army" however did not drop their heads and fought hard back up the pitch. With 20 metres from goal, Barnhall got a kickable penalty but again the pitch proved difficult to handle and the penalty brought no points. Stillorgan's out-half was pulling the strings for them and another try went in. The conversion was missed. Ten nil. From the re-starts, Barnhall's backs and forwards were claiming well in the air and Rusty's kicking from hand proved instrumental in gaining territory. With ten minutes to go in the second half, Barnhall were finding their momentum and pick and go moves from Quinn and Anto Cooney were gaining ground. A Barnhall lineout to Tyndall, as first jumper, set up a nice move gaining five metres, ten from the try-line. Next Anto Cooney picked and made another metre or two. At the back of the ruck, Ringrose took the ball, saw a gap and took it but was stopped three or four feet from the line. The Barnhall pack was not far behind and the support came to get Ringrose over the line for a try. Rusty kicked a very difficult kick to bring the score to 10-7 to Stillorgan. Half time saw some changes to personnel and game plan. The Barnhall lineout was improving and Quinn was claiming all that came his way setting up the maul that Stillorgan were struggling to contain. Unfortunately Barnhall were not able to capitalise and some vital decisions did not go our way. Stillorgan nicked two more unconverted tries to end the game 20-7. Barnhall can take a lot from the game with Anto Larkin and Michael Mousley impressed with some of the new-comers to the team. The trip back to Parsonstown for Stillorgan will be another story.Barnhall came away knowing the game could have been much closer and take confidence in the improvements seen week in week out at training and on the pitch.
Barnhall 24 Lansdowne 7 Barnhall maintained their one hundred percent start to the league with a comprehensive victory away to Lansdowne on Saturday 5 th December. This game was scheduled for Parsonstown but an early morning pitch inspection resulted in the home team having to forfeit home advantage due to a waterlogged pitch. The game started very well for Barnhall who immediately put Lansdowne on the back foot with some excellent forward play and the backs moving the ball wide on every occasion. Barnhall's early pressure was rewarded by three tries in the opening 30 minutes. The first was scored after a great break by Luke Ingleton who offloaded to Eoin Fitzpatrick who scored to the right of the posts. Unfortunately Kevin Conroy who was a late call up at number 10 missed the conversation. Barnhall continued to impress and again after some slick hands by the backs scored a second try from Sean Lennon. The conversation again was missed but further pressure from Barnhall yielded a third try of the half scored again by the impressive Fitzpatrick. On this occasion the conversion was successful and Barnhall led 17 to nil after 30 minutes of play. The final 10 minutes of the first half saw Lansdowne put on some pressure and they barged over after a tap penalty from 5 meters to score a try close to half time. The conversion was scored from out on the right and the half time score read 17 – 7 to Barnhall. Barnhall were forced into some changes at half time when Luke Ingleton was replaced by Paul ‘Gippy' Corscadden and this was followed early in the second half by the sin binning of James Jones which was harsh at the time. But credit goes to the pack who really put their shoulders to the wheel for the next 10 minutes with some strong tackles and breaks from Mark Lundy and Colm Quinn in particular. The strong defence did take its toll though and more changes were made during the half after injuries to JP Swaine, Neil Beatty and Mark Lundy in the pack. However their replacements continued to tackle with great heart and Gavin Egan, Gearoid Conway and David Walsh were not found wanting. After absorbing all that Lansdowne could throw at them Barnhall broke away and nearly scored in the corner when Gavin Egan made a great break but was bundled into touch just short of the line. Barnhall were awarded a penalty from the resultant lineout and some quick thinking from livewire scrum half Albert Nagel who tapped and went to score an opportunistic try which was converted by Conroy. This was the last score of the game and Barnhall ran out winners 24 – 7. Again this was an excellent all round team performance with best for Barnhall man of the match Eoin Fitzpatrick who slotted into the full back position with ease after the luckless Keith McAuley got a dead leg in the first minute and was replaced by Sean Lennon. Also to the fore for Barnhall were Albert Nagel, Colm Quinn and Ciaran Moloney while Collie Fallon, Michael Mullins and Neil Beatty work rate all over the pitch was quite impressive. Barnhall are now away in their next two games against Stillorgan next Saturday December 13 th and Wednesday week (16 th December) away to Greystones under lights in Dr Hickey Park at 8pm. This will be a top of the table match as Barnhall and Greystones are only divided by points difference at this time however Barnhall do have this game in hand against Stillorgan. Team: Keith McAuley, Mick Finn, Luke Ingleton, Collie Fallon, Eoin Fitzpatrick, Kevin Conroy, Albert Nagel, James Jones, Michael Mullins, Neil Beatty, Shane Hogan, Colm Quinn, JP Swaine, Ciaran Moloney and mark Lundy. Subs: Jack Foran, Paul Corscadden, Sean Lennon, Gavin Egan, Gearoid Conway and David Walsh. Barnhall 6 Sundays Well 11 The gloomy dark weather was not lifted by the quality of the rugby nor were Barnhall supporters lifted by a successful outcome to this hard fought encounter in Parsonstown on Saturday. Both teams gave there all in difficult weather conditions with a heavy pitch and a soapy ball making good rugby impossible. It was a day for the forwards and the wing forwards in particular. In this department James Mulcahey and Chris long played a major part in deciding this encounter as did the Sundays well half backs Tom Parker and points scorer Danny O'Shea. Both Barnhall and Sundays Well have performed well in the opening games against much the same opposition. It was always expected this would be a tough assignment for either team to win and a close game was always in prospect. For the opening ten minutes Barnhall performed well. The home side back row and in particular Tom McKeown made a big impact winning the ball in the loose and running with purpose at the Sundays Well back line. After only three minutes Barnhall forced a penalty out of the scrambling defence and Leo Quinn had no difficulty in converting the short range effort to open up the scoring at 3 points to nil. Barnhall were very much in control of the game for this period and a second close range penalty won through strong forward play and constant sniping by Eoin burke have quinn a second close range opportunity on fifteen minutes which was narrowly missed. It was looking like Barnhall ad only to go through the phases and victory would be certain. The visitors came back to life through a series of forward drives and quick off loading which gained considerable ground. In a follow up move following a speculative high kick down on Ben McCarthy. McCarthy knocked on and a sense of uncertainty ran through the Barnhall team which was now facing a more confident Sunday's Well outfit having survived the opening Barnhall onslaught. The Well piled on the pressure and after a series of try scoring attempts and last gasp try saving tackles Parker put O'Shea away three meters from the line and the defence just hadn't room to prevent the tall fly half from touching down. O Shea missed the conversion but established a narrow lead for the visitors at 3 points to five. A drop goal attempt five minutes later just missed the target and this was sure warning that the visitors had a talented and potentially match winning player in the no.10 shirt. Barnhall did defend well for much of the rest of the opening half and did try a number of positive runs along the backline. Mostly poor handling and unforced errors put paid to Barnhall's try scoring attempts. McKeown took a heavy knock on the shoulder which ultimately saw an end to his first Barnhall Start of the season in the AIL. However a strong drive and series of quick passing saw Barnhall bearing down on the Visitors line as we entered injury time. Quick hands were not enough to break the determined defence and Barnhall managed to force a penalty 20 meters out. Quinn converted to establish a 6 points to five lead. The Visitors restarted in a much more determined fashion the opening period of the game and Barnhall were on the back foot from the opp. Barry Dunne replaced McKeown and took up the no 6 shirt for the rest of the afternoon. However the pressure placed on Barnhall yielded a short range opportunity for O'Shea which he dually converted. A second penalty for long range five minutes later missed much to the relief of the home side. The penalty count was mounting on both sides but not many of the free kicks were in kicking distance and the score remained at 6 pints to 8 for most of the second half. Barnhall never gave up and Paul Burke was constantly looking to make progress with the ball in hand. On 28 minutes Barnhall did make a break when quick thinking by Eoin Burke put Dean Jameson away on a telling run. Jameson like McKeown was also making his first appearance of the season in AIL had opened well making a number of good line breaks in the opening period. This final effort saw him clear with a two man overlap but slow thinking or the worn option ended the attack. Shortly afterwards Barnhall pressure did fore another short range penalty which Quinn uncharacteristically missed. With just under ten minutes to go it was felt that not many more scoring opportunities would present themselves. However having lifted the siege Sundays well went back on the offensive and an excellently taken drop goal sealed the game for the Visitors. Sundays Well deserved the victory on the balance of play and based on the impact of strong loose forward drives and the skill and accuracy of Danny O'Shea. In the wet and difficult underfoot conditions it was the quality of O'Sheas kicking that put paid to Barnhall ambitions for this the last home fixture in the AIL for Barnhall in 2009. Barnhall did not reproduce the form and determination that brought success against Wanderers before the break. The lost form will need to be found if Barnhall are to take the honours away from Suttonians in next Saturdays all Leinster clash.
Barnhall 30 Parkmore 10 Barnhall J4's returned to league action on Saturday after a three week break with a well merited victory over Parkmore. Two weeks ago Barnhall's game with Stillorgan was abandoned after 15 minutes due to the extreme weather conditions. This game was originally scheduled as an away game but as Parkmore's home pitch in Terenure was deemed unplayable the game was moved to Maynooth College 's excellent facilities. Played in good conditions with a cross field breeze Barnhall started the strongest and immediately put Parkmore under pressure. They were rewarded with a penalty in front of the posts which Leo Turley converted to give Barnhall a 3 – 0 lead. The game was hotly contested by two strong packs. Barnhall continued to dominate the first half but failed to add to the score line. Both sides missed penalties before Parkmore scored a try with a breakaway move late in the first half. This was converted to put Parkmore ahead 7 – 3 coming up to half time. Barnhall responded well and after Parkmore were penalised on the 22, Leo Turley punished them with the last kick of the first half. Leaving the score 7 – 6 at the interval. The second half saw Parkmore start the livelier and Barnhall were guilty of going over the top at a ruck which gave Parkmore the opportunity to extend their half time lead. The kick was successful to give Parkmore a 10 6 advantage after 5 minutes of the second half. It was now however that Barnhall began to exert their authority on the game. After some strong play from the forwards Leo Turley was on hand to drive over from 5 yards and score Barnhall's first try of the game. The out half was also on target with the conversion and Barnhall now lead 13 – 10. Barnhall continued to dominate the game and started to impose themselves all over the field. Some excellent positional kicking, lineout play and running allowed Barnhall score three more tries. The first of these came from Luke Ingleton after a tremendous line break and a couple of dummies. The Welsh wizard, who was slightly under the weather with a tummy bug touched down but unfortunately the conversation was missed to leave the score 18 – 10. Again Barnhall were dominant from the restart and Eoin Fitzpatrick raced in for a great try following a kick through from Turley. In fact Eoin also had what seem a perfectly legitimate try harshly cancelled out by the referee for a knock-on. The last 15 minutes allowed Barnhall to use their bench and in the closing moments some excellent back play allowed David Hanlon race through from 30 meters to score under the posts. This try was converted by replacement out half and kicker Michael Mullins. This was the last kick of the game to leave the final score 30 – 10. Barnhall had some excellent performances throughout the team especially in the second half when they began to move the ball and play for territory. The back three of Keith McAuley, David Hanlon and Eoin Fitzpatrick were solid under the high ball and attacked at every opportunity. The fact that both wingers scored was a testament to their hard work all day. Up front apart from one John Smith moment (front rows should not kick) the forwards dominated the lineout and especially in the second half out-fought and out- rucked their opponents. Barnhall fully deserved their victory. Best for Barnhall were JP Swaine, Colin Fallon and Mark Lundy along with those already mentioned. Barnhall continue their league campaign next Saturday with an away game against joint table toppers Greystones. This game is scheduled for Dr Hickey Park at 2:30pm. Barnhall show true grit to take full honours. It would be difficult to pick a man of the match after Saturday's epic encounter with Wanderers at Merrion road. Such was the tenacity and commitment shown by Barnhall that they won the match and prevented the home side from achieving a loosing bonus point despite not having much of the possession in the first half and almost none of the possession in the second. Hard first up tackling pressurised the home side into constant mistakes, spilling ball and choosing the wrong option time after time. No Halloween party for Barnhall after second half slump. For the fourth time in four outings in the AIB All Ireland league Barnhall started the brighter of the two teams in Parsonstown on Saturday. A confident display of rucking mauling and swift thinking back line moves had Nenagh Ormond on the back foot as early as the fourth minute of this well contested game. A well executed move and a confidently placed drop goal by Leo Quinn got Barnhall off to a dream start. On ten minutes Nenagh opted to hoist a ball down the right wing and Paul Burke pulled off a wonderful mark under heavy pressure from the Onrushing Nenagh hordes. This signalled what was to be one of Burkes best games in the blue shirt for years as he repeated the high ball catch on three more occasions always under the same level of pressure. It was evident that Nenagh were very quick to react to all events and the speed of moving the ball looked impressive. When they split the Barnhall defence on 12 minutes it became clear to all on the sideline that this team has a lot of dangerous players to keep an eye on. A crunching tackle by Jerome Bidau ended a Nenagh charge and the resulting penalty for holding on the ground allowed Barnhall to lift a siege. However minutes a mix up at the base of the scrum gifted possession to Nenagh and a resulting penalty was converted by Dave Delaney to level the score at 3-3. A lovely bit of individual flare from Dave Stewart saw him eating up the yards and baring down on the visitors line. An infringement at the tackle offered Quinn another chance to incre4ase the score which he did comfortably 6 - 3 to the home side. The score did not faze Nenagh and the piled on the pressure mostly in the front five. Torrential rain made conditions difficult for both sides and the well drilled Nenagh unit managed to create an opportunity with a series of forward drives allowing captain Mick Kennedy to touch down mid way between the posts and the corner flag. Delaney converted and at 6 points to 10 things began to look difficult for the boys in blue. Within seconds of the restart Eoin Burke was brought down illegally and Leo Quinn slotted home a fine penalty to make it 9 points to 10 with 39 minutes of the first half gone. The final move of the first half came on 43 minutes when Paul Burke made a great run chipping ahead for the final rush to the line. The ball bounced off the rushing Nenagh players and Burke collected the rebound to touch down close to the posts. Quinn converted and it was smiles all around for a job well done in the first half. The second half was marred somewhat by the frequent torrential downpours. Despite the adversity the two teams played out a fine second half which was particularly well marshalled by the referee. A tough second period saw a lot of inventive play from both sided and it appeared at times that having possession was a disadvantage as it was particularly difficult to carry the ball along the back line which both sides continued to attempt. Paul Burke made a very telling line break mid way through the second period covering almost thirty yards before proceedings were abruptly halted. This act alone kept the Nenagh defence on their toes. Barnhall's next best effort to score came when Bidau was put through by Quinn on a long run along the wing. His kick ahead was knocked on by Nenagh but Bidau was illegally grounded without the ball and instead of a penalty a scrum was awarded and no progress was made from that play. Another Player that caught the eye was Padraic Beatty making his first appearance in the AIL. His speed to the breakdown and overall contribution in the loose was evident as was the quality of his delivery into the line outs regardless of the rain storms falling. Nenagh did not concede any penalties within kickable range in the second period. Barnhall however gave away two opportunities which Delany converted. The final effort coming in the 44 th minute of the second period after an infringement at the base of a scrum. The successful penalty conversion was met with groans from the home faithful as a win had now been turned into a potential loss. No time remained and thus two points were shared with the visitors feeling much the happier for the outcome. Commenting after the game Coach Denis Bowes said “we need to become much more clinical in our execution and in closing out game. While most of the teams below us lost games this weekend most of the winning teams also scored four or more tries for bonus points. This is where we need to get to if we are to make progress in this league”. “The next outing for Barnhall is an away game in Dublin against high flying Wanderers. We will now focus on gaining our second away win of the season in what we are sure will be a cracking game of rugby” said Bowes.
Instonians class sets the standard for Barnhall RFC. What was expected to be one of the toughest encounters for Barnhall in this season proved to be the case with a blistering second half display by Instonians at Shaw's Bridge on Saturday? As was the case for Barnhall's last trip north three weeks ago the high wind played a decisive factor in the style of play and on the ultimate outcome of this hard fought encounter. Barnhall had much the better start to this game. Electing to play with the strong wind and with Leo Quinn in top form directing play and varying tactics very nicely caused no end of difficulties for the Ulstermen in the opening twenty minutes. Larris Zaglio and Philip Furlong were impressive in carrying balls and making ground against a strong Instonians pack. Quinn quickly established the difficulties in playing a running game and opted to kick for territorial gain with great effect for most of the opening half. On 12 minutes after clean possession was won by Furlong a neatly taken drop goal opened the account to establish the narrowest of leads at 0 points to 3 for the visitors. The only other real scoring opportunity presented by the home side came for Quinn with a penalty effort on 20 minutes. Quinn narrowly missed a long range effort that had plenty to spare with the following wind. At this stage Instonians began to press home advantage and press the skills of David Bradford and the powerful No 4 Mark McDowell. Both men began to assert themselves on the game and the free roving efforts of Barnhall came to an abrupt halt. The ability of Instonians to change the course of the game carrying the ball with great effect against the elements gave cause of concern after thirty minutes of the first half. Barnhall needed to get points on the board with the second half advantage looming for the home side. No progress was possible and no cushion of points emerged from the stout efforts of Barnhall. Instonians kept their game plan under wraps for the opening half and the discussion at the break was to ponder whether Instonians had any football skills in the back line as none were on display in the opening 40 minutes. Barnhall unable to swim with Dolphin. Barnhall made the trip to meet high flying Dolphin looking to follow the example set by Ballynahinch, last years winners of this cup competition. Despite the excellent preparation and the level of commitment shown by the Parsonstown team the efforts were short of the requirement. The final score of 38 points to 3 does not do justice to the competitive nature of this game which was played at a cracking pace with a full blooded display given by both sides. West misty conditions made handling more difficult for both teams. Barnhall had the better of the opportunities in the first half and tended to be more inventive with the ball in hand. Dolphin on the other hand and Brian O'Mahony in particular were much more clinical with the opportunities they created and so it was O'Mahony that opened up the Dolphin account with the first of his three tries. Barnhall spurned a number of first half opportunities; two penalties were narrowly missed as was a clear try scoring opportunity but floppy hands denied any progress by the visitors. A half time score of 12 points to nil was a scant reward for the possession and drive of the Barnhall outfit. With a twelve point deficit Barnhall were fully aware of the need to score next if the game was to be reprieved. Fifteen minutes of hard fought play yielded nothing for the hard working Barnhall forwards and by the mid point of the second half it Barnhall appeared to be totally on defensive action. It didn't take long for the flood gates to open and the clinical excellence in execution yielded four second half tries in the last twenty minutes of this entertaining game. a try and four conversions for Ben Keeshan, three tries for O'Mahony and one each for Stone and Lynch were matched by a single converted penalty by Leo Quinn who had another fine game in the blue shirt. Dolphin now head to Belfast Harlequins for the next round on the 7 th of November. Barnhall head in the same direction next week to play Instonians in the third round of AIL league games. Barnhall can take heart from the excellent performance against one of the top teams in AIL division 1A. The key lesson from this game for Barnhall is to make sure you take your opportunities when they come along. This will certainly be necessary against a resurgent Instonians outfit. Barnhall 37 AIB 10 Barnhall recorded their second consecutive win of their league campaign with a win over AIB at Barnhall on Saturday afternoon in a game that was played in ideal conditions. The balmy conditions allowed for some fantastic free flowing rugby and Barnhall took full advantage to stamp their authority on the game. Barnhall started the second half as they had finished the first by immediately putting AIB on the back foot. Some excellent forward play and line breaks from the backs ensured that Barnhall controlled the game throughout. Barnhall scored two further tries in the second half. The impressive Collie Fallon got over for his second of the afternoon and this was quickly followed by a try by David Hanlon, on his seasonal debut, following some good play from Micky Finn and Luke Ingleton. The final score of the game was a 30 meter penalty converted by Leo Turley. This left the final score at 37 – 10. Barnhall introduced a number of subs in the second half with Eoin Fitzpatrick making his first start for Barnhall and showing some excellent skills that we hope to see again. Barnhall will be happy to have won but will again have to improve on certain aspects of their game. Defensively we had some superb tackles in midfield where Collie Fallon gave a man of the match performance with big hits and two excellent tries. Our forwards worked hard throughout and especially in the second half, while the backs after a couple of mistakes that led to AIB's two tries, plugged the holes and showed what they can do by scoring 6 tries. Team: Beats, Mullins, Darragh Stafford, Dukie, Shane Hogan, Collie Quinn, Lundy, JP, Mark Mullany, Leo, Micky Finn, Lukie(nice curry) Collie Fallon (MOM), Seanie (where's the Guitar) Lennon, Keith Mcauley. Subs: David Hanlon, Jonnie Murphy, Eoin Fitzpatrick, Deckie Kelly. Manager : Declan (Big Show) Flannery. Waterboy/tee boy : Conor Turley and Shane Murray. Barnhall 36 Monkstown 19 Barnhall J4 opened their 2009-10 league season with an excellent win away to Monkstown last Saturday night. The game kicked off late at 5.45pm and finished under the new lights that Monkstown have only recently installed. Squad: Sean Coffey, Michael Mullins, Daragh Stafford, Robin Wardell, Shane Hogan, Earl Brennan, Mark Lundy, Colm Quinn, Albert Nagel, Leo Turley, Sean Lennon, Luke Ingleton, Colm Fallon, Mark Mulally, Keith McAuley, Paul Corscadden, Jimmy Mara, Neil Beatty, Declan Kelly. Sharper reaction ruins Rainey.
Barnhall blow Ards away.
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