West Offaly Lions 3 :: Sligo RFC 7
Sligo set up a mouth watering first round home clash with holders Monivea, when they overcame the West Offaly Lions in their preliminary round encounter of the Heineken Connacht Junior Cup at Ferbane on Sunday. Sligo were made to fight all the way by a resilient home team who lead the encounter with ten minutes remaining on the clock.
The home team won the toss and elected to play with the aid of the slight breeze in the opening half. Sligo enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges and were afforded an early scoring opportunity with a penalty award just inside the ‘lions 10 half after 3 minutes which Outhalf Paddy Pearson kicked to the corner. James Wilson collected the lineout and the Sligo pack drove over the line, but the home defence managed to prevent the grounding.
The visitors continued to press and looked to have opened their account after 15 minutes when a sweeping backline move allowed full David Gerrity the chance to race to the corner but the try was disallowed by the referee who brought play back for a forward pass. Shortly afterwards Gerrity retired with a back injury and was replaced by Julian Rippon.
Midway through the half Sligo were awarded a penalty on the home teams 10 metre line. Pearson elected to go for posts but his well struck effort fell short and the ‘lions managed to clear.
West Offaly then went on the attack and their well organised kicking game gave them a foothold in the Sligo half. A sustained period of pressure resulted in the concession of a penalty on the Sligo 22. Full back Brian Gleeson bisected the posts to give his team a 3 point lead at the interval.
After the interval Sligo introduced Jamie Bowes and Gary Conneely and both made an impact with some fine carries. The slippery conditions were causing errors on both sides and became clear that scores were going to be difficult to obtain.
The winning score however, was a superbly crafted effort. With 10 minutes remaining on the clock Sligo were awarded a scrum in their own 22.Pearson decided to attack from deep and the outhalf linked with Jordan Farrington who created space before feeding Rippon. Rippon evaded a number of tackles before linking back inside. The ball was moved left to right across the width of the pitch to the awaiting Wilson. The second row was stopped 5 yards short but a super pick up by Jason East allowed the move to continue. A fast ruck allowed scrum half Billy Leahy release his backline and quick hands allowed Rippon the space to beat the defence and touch down in the corner. Pearson added the extras with a superb kick.
Next week sees Sligo return to league duty when second plays third in the much anticipated North West derby. Sligo host rivals Ballina in what will be their biggest test in the league to date. Ballina are sitting just one point behind Sligo in the league making this a make or break game for both sides. The match takes place next Saturday at Hamilton park with a 2.30 kick off scheduled.
Sligo: David Geritty, Ted Maloney, Jordan Farrington, Gavin Foley, Andrew Feeney, Paddy Pearson, Billy Leahy, Thomas Gormley, Ross Mannion, Jason East, Trevor Sweeney, James Wilson, Joe Sweeney, Simon Coulter, Peter Mullan. Replacements: Gary Conneely, Jamie Bowes, Martin Feeney, Daragh Cox, Julian Rippon.
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