Boyne draw comfort as they foil Midleton again

once again converted. This left the home side 14-0 ahead coming up to the half-hour mark.

However, when Midleton were back to full strength they showed just why they are at the higher end of the league table. Boyne lost possession with a loose kick which Midleton gathered and they set up an excellent attack which ended with their out half Daly going in under the posts - 14-7.

Then in the 36th minute the away side forced a lineout from which they took clean ball and released their backs who cut through for another try out wide. This time they failed to convert and that meant Boyne carried a slender 14-12 lead into the half-time break, having let a substantial advantage fritter away for the second consecutive game.

Boyne made some changes shortly after the restart as another one of their young players, Padraig Mongey, came in at hooker, allowing George Cooney to move to the back row. This period also saw another of Boyne’s young guns enter the fray as Sean Woods came into the back row.

However, Boyne were dealt another severe blow in the 54th minute when good work by the Midleton forwards saw them win a ruck out on the right before releasing their winger to run in for their third try which they failed to convert, and that left Boyne trailing 17-14 and chasing the game down going into the last quarter.

Kerbey did level matters in the 57th minute with another penalty before the Midleton forwards produced the goods for another try when their excellent retention and mauling saw them touch down for their bonus-point score. They failed with the conversion, but with seven minutes remaining things looked ominous for the home side.

However, a series of misdemeanours saw two Midleton players sin-binned in the final stages, during which Boyne scored an excellent try in the 76th minute.

The forwards again went through a series of phases before Kerbey took the ball on, and Howell made a scintillating run to take the pass from Kerbey and score.

Kerbey failed with the conversion, which left the scores tied, but Boyne were then let off the hook when Midleton’s kicker missed a straightforward-looking penalty chance to win the match..