U13's win in Castlebar (UPDATED)

Sligo 24 :: Castlebar 14

On a chilly but bright day Sligo arrived in numbers for their fixture at Castlebar. The hosts had recently beaten one of the leading teams in the league, and Sligo were geared up for action. The panel was a bit light on experienced Forwards but the conditions looked to favour the Backs, as the ground, though damp, was firm beneath the foot.

As the match started Sligo rapidly took the game to Castlebar. Wave after wave of Sligo Players ran forward, phase after phase, and Castlebar were pushed back towards their line. 5 minutes into the match Matthew Davey was over the line for Sligo. This was to be one of the few times in the match that the pace was fast, as frequent minor infringements often kept the game in check. Both teams were resolute in defence, but in terms of territory, Sligo had the upper hand, and only failed to score more frequently through inexperience and missed passes. 15 minutes in and Conor Kerins got over in the corner which, unlike the first try, was not converted.

At half time Sligo were 12-0 to the good, and after ten more minutes of territorial domination James O’Hehir burst through the middle and scored between the posts for Sligo’s third try, which was successfully converted. By this stage numerous substitutions were being made, Sligo always having the reputation of giving every player on the Panel as much of a game as possible. Because of the shortage of Forwards in the Sligo Panel, various backs had to switch forward, with the majority of substitutes going into the backs line.

This, however, had the unfortunate side-effect of giving the opportunity to Castlebar, who duly followed up with two converted tries in fairly quick succession, taking the score to 19-14. As had happened the previous week, a combination of relative inexperience and a dip in discipline allowed the opposition to break through, and, but for the efforts of Eoin Kilroy-Talbot, who had gone into the pack from the backline, Castlebar would have had a third unanswered try. The game began to settle back into its earlier format, with both sides trying to break through the defence of the other, and with ten minutes left Leigh Dunne got over the try line, which was duly converted for Sligo.

This match did not quite have the passion of the previous week’s match, but again, the commitment showed through.

View more photos from the game here.