Dream turns to reality!
Enniscorthy make the leap into the big time
ENNISCORTHY ACHIEVED a little bit of history in Clifden on Saturday, winning the All-Ireland League play-off series with their 27-0 victory over the Connacht champions.
The club has now been awarded Senior status and will play in the All-Ireland League next season. Needing only one point to win the round robin series, they got five with a bonus point win, scoring five tries in the process.
Conditions were very difficult with a gale-force wind blowing in from the Atlantic. The visitors elected to face the elements in the opening half.
From the start they dominated proceedings and held the ball for long periods.
They couldn’t play their normal expansive game as long passes were impossible in the gale-force wind.
Scrum-half Arthur Dunne got over in the left corner after some very slick short passes with a quarter of an hour gone.
Five minutes later Enniscorthy won a scrum against the head ten metres out and found centre Killian Lett who barged over for their second try.
The third try came as Connemara was forced to kick downfield. Wing Ivan Jacob released full-back Richard Dunne who ran from 25 metres to score.
On the half hour they struck again when they were awarded a penalty and Tom Ryan elected to scrum down.
With the scrum stopped near the line, Nick Doyle broke and fed Killian Lett who crashed over for their fourth try. Conversions were impossible into this wind.
Leading 20-0 going into the second-half and now playing down wind, the Wexford men could not be caught.
After 50 minutes Arthur Dunne broke from a ruck on the halfway and found centre Daniel Pim who raced in under the posts.
Out-half Ivan Poole converted to make it 27-0 and that was how it finished.
Enniscorthy’s last game of the season is on Sunday, April 28, when they play in the Towns Cup final against Wicklow up in Navan. What a season it would be for the club if they could win this famed trophy back-to-back.
Enniscorthy: Conall Kavanagh, David Murphy, Paddy Waters, Timmy Morrissey, Tom Ryan (capt.), Alan Jacob, Brian Bolger, Nick Doyle, Arthur Dunne, Ivan Poole, David O’Dwyer, Killian Lett, Daniel Pim, Ivan Jacob, Richard Dunne. Subs. - Billy Wickham, Hughie O’Neill, James Doyle, Jamie Barron, Stephen Hadley, Liam Stamp, Pat Doyle, Jim White.