Skerries 13 Cistercian College Roscrea 8:A fast start was the secret to Skerries Community College's well earned Leinster Schools Junior Cup first round win over Cistercian College, Roscrea at Coolmine yesterday.
It took Skerries number eight Ronan O'Connor one minute to barge to the line from a driving maul. Outhalf Harry Dawson added the points and a penalty in the ninth minute to make it 10-0.
These were two sides that struggled to master the basics of the game on a perfect day for rugby. In these circumstances, it usually takes one or two stand-out performers to get the job done with everyone else working hard. O'Connor and Dawson were two such players.
Roscrea's Jack O'Connell reduced the deficit with a penalty just shy of the interval only for Dawson to match him in the 32nd minute. A well-executed back movement ended with left wing Jamie O'Halloran going over on the left to leave the result in doubt right to the final whistle.
SKERRIES CC: M Sherlock; R Newsholme, C Mulvihill, R Dempsey, W Archer; H Dawson, A Curran; R Byrne, C Tonge, J Sherwin, C O'Brien, M Wheeler, E Lenane, B Murphy, R O'Connor.
CISTERCIAN COLLEGE ROSCREA: G McNamee; S Kelly, D Hayes, S Leyden, J O'Halloran; J O'Connell, R Durcan; O Kilgallon, D Coffey, M Reyes, D Hanlon, M McCrohan, D Egan, J Murphy, J McGee. Replacement: C Finn for Kelly (7 mins).
