Bittersweet win keeps Valley on top
Editorial Department • Published 19 Jan 2012 13:00
0 Comments
CIYMS 1st XV 16; Clogher Valley 1st XV 18;
A Phillip Holme conversion from right on the touchline gave Clogher Valley an injury time win against CIYMS that said much about the character of this team.
Simply because, this was a bittersweet win for the Valley after Kiwi hooker Ean Griffth suffered an horrific double leg break in the early stages of the game. Valley joint coach Davy Black (pictured left) admitted the injury "shook" his team but that they showed "tremendous character to comeback and win".
He described Holme's injury time winner as "sublime" given the pressure he was under while his thoughts were also very much with his injured player.
"I have been around a right while and it is as bad an injury as I have seen on the field of play. The thoughts of the entire club are with Ean, he has been a great player for us all season and we will just have to work harder to make up for his loss. We all hope he makes a full recovery."
As regards the club's title hopes, Davy added: "We drew with CIYMS at home, they are a bit of a bogey team for us, but as I have said, the boys showed great character to come from 8-0 down and 16-8 down to eventually get the win. The injury to Ean certainly shook them and they took a while to get going after that but in fairness they never gave up and Holme's kick to win the game was simply sublime. The win came at a cost and we have a few other injuries with a big game against Coleraine coming up but that is where we are at at the moment."
This game kicked off in glorious conditions on a carpet like surface. The home side set the early pace and soon were three points up thanks to a penalty awarded for a tackler not rolling away.
The Valley tried to respond but Griffith suffered his serious injury which halted proceedings half an hour, allowing an ambulance to arrive and ferry the stricken Kiwi to the Royal.
From the restart, Clogher were clearly unsettled with anmuch reshuffled pack and CI capitalised almost immediately scoring a well worked and deserved try by Armstrong at the corner flag. It went unconverted but at eight points up it was looking good for the Belfast club.
Clogher gradually put some phases together with Holme pushing CI back with some excellent offensive kicking. A penalty drifted wide before the visitors gained a foothold in the CI 22 metre area. Several promising sorties were repelled before B J Wilson crashed over for a very important score. Holme was off target with the conversion but Clogher had a lifeline. Buoyed by the try Clogher returned to the offensive, Bennett gave his teammates some great 'go forward ball' and as the rest of the pack piled in behind him a CI forward was caught offside. Holme landed the penalty giving the Valley an unlikely 'all square' 8-8 scenario at the break.
The Valley travelling support thought that their side had weathered the earlier setback and would kick on in the second half.
Alas it was not to be.
CI are a good side who should be competing for a top four spot and certainly not in the lowly league position they find themselves. Clogher with Irvine and Moore in control in the front row would dominate the scrum but despite a retreating pack, CIs No8 and scrum half would continually get beyond the visitors fringe defence and cause endless problems.
Indeed, the Valley's normally water tight defence was leaking all over the park. Organisation and discipline at times turned into blind panic but it certainly added to the spectacle.
After a period of initial visitor pressure, CI broke the siege and forced their way deep into Clogher's half. Encamped, their pressure eventually yielded up a penalty easing them back into a three point lead. They were soon to go further ahead, a good break and some deft hands aided by some poor defensive tackling saw them grab their second try, again wide out on the right. The conversion was missed but at 16-8 going in to the last quarter it was their game to lose.
Clogher rallied briefly and Holme reduced the arrears with a straight forward front of post penalty.
CI then set about winning the game and it was a backs to the wall scenario for the visitors. A very kickable penalty went astray but undaunted they continued to force the pace. A try seemed certain but for a great cover tackle by Bates and a subsequent spilled ball.
Lyons replaced Falconer at centre to bring a freshness to the visitors. Clogher dug deep no more so than scrum half Bates. He cajoled he organised and he refused to accept defeat. With time on the blow a Clogher penalty in their own 22' had to be ran.
Sharkey made the early ground and from there on it was like watching a maestro conducting an orchestra. Bates was in his element organising his forwards on the long gut wrenching haul to the CI line. Probing left and then right, sometimes only inches were made others a matter of feet. Irvine, Moore, Bennett, Sharkey and Lyons made inroads as the' petit general' choreographed the way forward.
Crossing the CI 22' line, B J Wison made a drive for the posts only to be brought down feet short. Moore went again only to be halted by a ferocious defensive hit. Inches short and as all were expecting the next drive Bates launched a long pass left, Bennett took and gave in the same movement giving Holme enough space to squeeze in at the corner. Most Clogher Valley players and supporters would have settled for a draw but Holme had other ideas. Despite his concentration being tested to the limit, he launched a superb conversion that bisected the posts resulting in all four points heading back down the M1.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 19 Jan 12
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our Sport archives.
