Enniskillen 47 Portadown 12

Enniskillen sit top of the Championship One table going into 2024 following a commanding 47-12 victory over Portadown at Mullaghmeen on Saturday.

Skins currently are four points ahead of Ballyclare although the second-placed team do have a game in hand on Alastair Keys’ outfit.

Gusting winds and a constant drizzle made conditions challenging but still very playable on Saturday.

Portadown kicked off with a wind that was mainly across the field but slightly in their favour. Nevertheless, the home team had the better of territory and possession in the first ten minutes and came very close to scoring under the posts, when a last-ditch tackle prevented Ferguson touching down.

They kept the pressure on though, with Mattie Graham making a clean break through the middle and eventually Oisin Timoney crossed the line, following a tapped penalty and a couple of forward carries. Eddie Keys converted.

Portadown hit straight back. Skins first defended a lineout maul on their five-metre line and then succeeded in forcing the attack back to the 22-metre line. Portadown retained the ball in contact very well and played through 17 phases before breaking through. They converted to level the scores.

The next phase of the game was spent between the 22s, with both sides probing for errors and territory through a variety of kicks. Eddie Keys then fielded one just inside the Skins half. He beat the first defender and darted down the blindside, before putting a “grubber kick” through for Sam Balfour to gather, cross the line and touch down in the corner. Keys put over a difficult conversion, into the wind and from the touchline.

Following the restart, Portadown had possession from a clearance kick, but three dominant tackles in a row by Angus Keys, Daire Hill and Andy Dane drove play back from their 10-metre line into the Portadown half and set the defensive tone that Skins were looking for.

Following another kicking exchange, Portadown had a lineout on their five-metre line, which Henry Keys managed to steal. Angus Keys and Neil Rutledge then made good ground in midfield, before Mattie Dane had a dart at the line. Jack Rutledge secured the rucked ball, when Dane was tackled just short, and Henry Keys picked up to drive over. Eddie Keys converted.

A “box kick” then forced a Portadown knock-on, and from the scrum, Sam Balfour sliced through on half-way to bring play to the opposition 22. A “lazy runner” blocked the ball moving left, and a near-certain score, as Skins had space and a large numerical advantage. A yellow card was shown and Portadown went to 14 men, as the first half came to a close.

Skins showed their intent in the second half, when they moved the ball wide and Foster put Balfour away, on the right wing. Only a very good cover tackle prevented him running in.

The clearance kick from the lineout went to Eddie Keys on the right touchline, who opened play to Foster and then Ben McLaren, who made ground on the left. The ball came right again and Hill carried it to within five metres and a ruck, from which the ball was quickly recycled and moved left for Foster to spot a gap and score under the posts. Keys converted.

Portadown continued to press for another score and were rewarded after a succession of penalties and then a yellow card for Skins, after a variety of penalties near their line. The conversion from wide right was unsuccessful.

Johnny Elliott – another graduate from Skins’ mini-rugby – had come on to make his 1st XV league debut and was involved in the next score, by Daire Hill, as the home side carried and played through a number of phases. Keys converted.

Harry Ingram was now at full-back, with Foster having moved to scrum-half. Ingram forced a knock-on in a tackle on the right-hand-side and then cut a great line from the ensuing scrum to open up the defence. With quick ball coming from the ruck, Foster broke blind, to feed Eddie Keys, who ran in from the 10-metre line and then converted the try.

The final score, which brought the game to a close, started on halfway, when Portadown knocked-on. Angus Keys cleaned up, made ground, Thornton won the ruck, Andy Dane picked and carried, Mattie Dane fed Jack Rutledge and then Angus Keys from the next ruck, who off-loaded out of the tackle to Andy Dane, who tipped it to Timoney and, in turn, to Keenan, who carried to within 10 metres. Foster passed to Eddie Keys, who put McLaren away in the corner for an excellent team try.

Attention immediately turned to the 2s’ game against Portadown, which had been held up and was still playing. Skins were in the Portadown 22 but trailing 7-5, Will Greenaway having scored for Enniskillen.

With only minutes remaining, Skins were awarded a penalty, which they opted to kick for goal. “Cometh the hour, cometh the man”, and Curtis Coalter duly took responsibility and slotted a difficult kick in the conditions for Skins to take the lead 8-7.

There was still time for Portadown to get a penalty in the Skins half following the restart. Playing into the wind they decided to run it but knocked-on in a tackle and the final whistle went for a Skins win by the finest of margins.