Clogher Valley 1st XV 23 Dromore 1st XV 6

Clogher Valley booked their place in the All-Ireland Junior Cup semi-final with a win over fellow Ulster side Dromore at the Cran on Saturday.

This was the second time the two sides met this season at the Valley’s home ground, with the previous encounter also going to the home side.

Clogher Head Coach Stephen Bothwell was delighted to make it through to the last four of the competition.

“We’re delighted to get through to the last four – we got to the final before and we would love to go one better, but it is just a case of one game at a time, and we’ll look no further ahead than the semi-final,” he said.

The Valley didn’t have things all their own way against Dromore. but Bothwell stresses that it was all about winning.

“We probably made harder work of it than we should have, but cup games are all about getting over the line and we did that,” said Bothwell, who blooded some of his younger squad players in the game.

“With five subs allowed, it let us bring in young Joel Busby, who did very well, and Jamie Allen was another young lad who came in, and it is good to blood these lads in such a big competition,” he added.

Unlike in the last game where Dromore took an early lead, it was the home side’s turn to dominate the first 15 minutes.

But, despite Clogher being in control, there was no score until Valley’s skipper Paul Armstrong opted for a kick at goal and safely slotted the ball between the two sticks after 27 minutes to take a slender 3-0 lead.

The score was doubled seven minutes later with another Armstrong penalty.

Dromore hit back and were awarded their own penalty just before the break which they were successful from 30 metres out. As the half was coming to a close, Clogher’s openside flanker Aaron Dunwoody was replaced by Allen for his first cup game this season.

In the last few seconds of the half, Dromore tried to spread the ball wide, but Armstrong read the play and intercepted on the edge of his own 22m line and raced the 75 metres to score under the posts, which he duly converted to send the home side into the break 13-3 ahead.

Dromore were not going to let the Valley off with an easy game and attacked with every opportunity. Their efforts were awarded with another kickable penalty which doubled their points; 13-6.

David Sharkey came on as a sub for Clogher Valley and brought stability and experience to the team.

Halfway through the second half, a Valley penalty was kicked into the corner, David Stinson took the ball cleanly and set up a maul; after several phases, Kyle Cobane drove over to add another five points to Valley’s total. Armstrong added the conversion.

This appeared to take the fire out of Dromore and at each stoppage Dromore players could be seen on the ground.

The Valley were now spreading the ball wide at every opportunity and this gave Robbie Mills on the right wing the opportunity to test his opposite number.

After 33 minutes of the second half, Armstrong added another penalty to bring the score to 23-6, and this effectively finished the game.

Pressured

Dromore fought hard and pressured the home side but could never find that killer blow.

While some of the play may not have been as exciting as the normal rugby the supporters are becoming used to from the Valley, the Cup is not the time for taking chances.

Kyle Cobane playing at hooker was awarded Player of the Match for his play in the loose.

Skipper Paul Armstrong notched up another 18 points to his season’s tally and is certainly becoming a scoring machine.

The Valley are now through to meet Ballyclare, Connemara or Newcastle West from Limerick in the Semi Final.