Ashbourne signal intent in impressive opening show

CHAMPIONS Ashbourne got their Leinster League Division 1A campaign off to the best possible start with a bonus-point 36-17 win against neighbours Boyne, Terenure College beat St Mary’s College 39-19 in the Dublin 6W derby to qualify for tonight’s Senior League Division

1 Final against Lansdowne in Donnybrook and Navan became the fourth Division 2 semi-finalist after their 24-7 victory over MU Barnhall where they join Old Wesley, Wanderers and Greystones in this weekend’s penultimate stage.

Lansdowne completed their Division 1A programme with a 34-14 win over Dublin University on the main pitch in the Aviva Stadium last Saturday, and in the process racked up over 100 points having won all three games with bonus points.

St Mary’s battled hard in their Division 1B top of the table encounter away in Lakelands before Terenure pulled away to notch their third win and register their second bonus point of the campaign.

Elsewhere in Division 1, UCD scored a late try to edge a try-fest

39-33 away to Naas in Forenaughts, while Clontarf beat Old Belvedere

40-15 at home in Castle Avenue to record their second win.

Shooting

Old Wesley won 26-14 away in Dr Hickey Park against Greystones to earn the No 1 seed in the Division 2 semi-finals and a home tie in Energia Park (Donnybrook) against Wanderers (a game played last night), while in the other semi-final tomorrow Navan welcome Greystones to Balreask Old.

Ashbourne scored six tries as they came shooting out of the traps at home in Milltown House; indeed they had bagged the bonus point by the interval at which point they led 24-0 and despite a late Boyne rally there was only ever going to be one winner as the champions set down a huge marker for all challengers.

Bective Rangers suffered the ignominy of relegation from the AIL last season but they put all that behind them as they made their Leinster League bow with a bonus-point 24-20 win at home in Donnybrook against Kilkenny.

Leading 14-13 at the break on the back of a pair of tries, they added a further brace of touchdowns before a late visitors try set up a nervy finish for the Dubliners.

Wicklow debuted in Division 1A last season with a creditable fourthplace finish and they signalled their intent to do even better this time when they beat runners-up from a year ago and Towns Cup winners Enniscorthy 28-23 at home in Ashtown Lane.

The rest of the Leinster League gets under way this weekend.