This Boyne Junior 1 team has been performing well in good company this season and having qualified for the upper section of this league they finally registered a good win on Sunday last over Seapoint at Shamrock Lodge. This was an entertaining game and the first half saw little between the sides with the visitors slotting a penalty to take a narrow lead. This team has nurtured the clubs younger players coming through from their youth sides and already the perseverance and patience of coaches, Declan McKeon and Eldon Moors is beginning to pay dividends.
Against a more experienced team in Seapoint on Sunday last, the young Boyne side were not overawed and their skill and tenacity kept them in the game in the first half when the visitors tested the home sides defence with strong running. However, Boyne managed to hold them to a single score when they were penalised for offside and Seapoint converted the resultant penalty. This was the only score of the half.
The second half saw Seapoint increase their lead to 6pts with another penalty and worse was to follow when they scored a try midway through the second half, which they converted, to bring their tally to 13pts. Boyne refused to succumb and some enforced changes through injury saw Kevin McCleery come in for veteran out half, Alan MacEneaney. McCleery added an injection to the back line and in a star performance he turned the game on its head. His line breaks and excellent kicking led to Boyne making a spectacular come back to score two marvellous try’s. Boyne second row, Richie Shuttleworth, was one of the try scorers and sprightly scrum half, Shaun Rooney, darted over for the other try. Whilst these two scores came from excellent forward and back play it was McCleery who delivered the ‘Coup De Grace’ with two superb conversions from very difficult angles. These scores were enough to give Boyne the slenderest of leads which they did not relinquish until the final whistle.
This was a display by the home side that had plenty of skill, resilience and enthusiasm to enthuse their supporters. The front five, led by Captain, Dan Kinsella, at prop, never gave up the chase and with 2nd row, Shuttleworth, taking on the ball to continuously put pressure on the Seapoint defence, Boyne were rewarded with two tries. The back row also looked impressive with the ever enthusiastic, Michael Maher, leading this trio from No.8. The injury to the impressive Karl Keogh before the game, meant that Boyne were without one of their most consistent performers all year but, this division operated very effectively with another young star emerging in Ben Dunphy, who was outstanding in the No 7 shirt.
This win is just reward for the effort that this team has put in during the season and will give them considerable confidence going into their remaining league games.
Boyne XV & Repls; Dan Kinsella (Capt), Conor Freeman (Pat Shuttleworth 2nd half), Hugh Carolan, (Daragh Grogan 2nd half); Declan Moore, Richard Shuttleworth; (Keith Keogh 2nd half), Kevin Wallace, Ben Dunphy, Michael Maher; Shaun Rooney, Alan MacEneaney (Kevin McCleery 2nd half); Mark McGuirk, Robert McKenna, Michael Hennessy, Colm Scanlan, (Ciaran Verdon 2nd half), Richard Jenkinson.