Omagh on top in Local Derby
21 December 2023
2nd XV Come back at Rainey
17 January 2024Omagh Accies 2XV – 43
Academy 1XV – 17
OARFC 2XV welcomed Academy 1XV to the Thomas Mellon Playing Fields on Saturday in their final game of the group stage in the Junior Shield. With the opponents flying high in second place in Championship 2, coaches Kane and Warnock knew their troops would have to put in a good performance in front of a reasonable crowd and in near perfect rugby playing conditions.
Captain Sherrard won the toss and opted to play up the hill and into the blinding sun in the first half and this seemed to work perfectly as they went into a 19-10 lead after 30 minutes. Three tries from Neil Brown, Michael Gibson and Andrew Catterson, some of which were great scores, and two conversions from Catterson put the Accies out in front.
Omagh’s underwhelming defensive performance was to be their downfall as they let in two soft scores to give the visitors hope but when the Accies won a penalty just before the break, after an interesting kick through from tight head prop Smyth, they opted for the scrum. Omagh’s pack pushed their opponents over the line and with number 8 Dean Porter controlling the ball well at the back he had the easy job of dotting it down for a crucial score. Half time – Omagh 26 Academy 10.
The break saw the coaches and senior players speaking of how the defensive performance could improve drastically in the second half and to their credit OARFC 2XV kept the visitors to a solitary score in the next 40 minutes.
Another Catterson try and two from James Hawkes, one an intercept from his own 10 metre line, saw Omagh win the second half 17-7 and the game 43-17.
Another good win for OARFC 2XV who have shown vast improvements in recent months but know they will need to increase their defensive efforts for the remainder of the season if they hope to gain some silverware and push their way up the 2XV League. They now go into the draw for the quarter finals of the Junior Shield and return to 2XV League action this Friday with a trip to Rainey 2XV – all support greatly appreciated.
OARFC 2XV (1-18)
G. Sherrard (c), J. Brolly, M. Smyth, M. Maloney, C. Hawkes, A. Porter, M. Gibson, D. Porter, A. Colhoun, A. Johnston, J. Beattie, A. Allen, J. Hawkes, N. Brown, A. Catterson, E. McKeown, G. McKinley & St. Ballantine.