Sligo roll on in Donnybrook
SLIGO maintained their unbeaten run in Ulster Bank League Division 2C with a hard worked 3 try to 1 dismissal of a resolute Bective outfit on the 4G pitch at Donnybrook on Sunday.
Sligo’s win combined with other results on the day gives the Yeats county men a 3point cushion at the top of the table ahead of second placed Bruff RFC.
On a dry but breezy afternoon Bective kicked off playing with the aid of the wind. Sligo were keen to make early headway and used their powerful ball carrying front rowers Kuba Wojtkowicz and Mark Keegan to drive their way into Bective territory.
Sligo’s early pressure was rewarded with a penalty outside the Bective 22 with 3 minutes gone but Jack Keegans strike travelled across the posts in the breeze.
Sligo continued to dominate with their scrum causing their hosts great difficulty but had to wait until midway through the half before the scorekeeper had to be employed.
Another solid scrum 10 yards from the line gave Matthew Cosgrove the opportunity to pick and go for the line. The number 8 was stopped close to the line but a quick recycle gave scrum half Ryan Feehily the chance to flash the ball right.
Mark Butler fed Mike Wells and the powerful centre squeezed his way over for the opening score.
Five minutes later Sligo crossed the whitewash for the second time. Butler and lively Flanker Diarmuid O’Dowd-Hill unpicked the home defence with an excellent interchange allowing Butler the chance to break free on the half-way line.
The out-half outpaced the cover to touch down right of the posts. Keegan’s conversion was the final score of the half.
Bective started the second half in determined fashion and threw everything at Sligo in the opening minutes.
The Sligo tackling was resolute as Bective continued to press with one excellent intervention from winger Callum Goddard saving what seemed an almost certain home team score.
Having weathered the early storm Sligo worked their way back into local territory but the final pass went astray on a couple of occasions when it looked like the breakthrough was on.
Sligo had to wait until the 74th minute to add to their tally.
A scrum penalty near the half way line allowed Butler the chance to position Sligo into the corner with an excellently struck kick.
The lineout didn’t go to plan, but Sligo took the resulting scrum against the head, giving Cosgrove the chance to drive over for his sides 3rd of the day.
Sligo went on the hunt for the bonus point fourth try and another well-struck Butler penalty to touch gave them a great position in the same corner as Cosgrove’s previous effort.
The Bective defence strayed offside and from the penalty Sligo opted for a scrum.
From the put in the Sligo pack marched forward but lost control at the base and the chance was lost.
Bective seized the opportunity and raced down the field towards the Sligo line.
Sligo had to concede a penalty to keep the line Intact and the hosts opted to go quickly.
A high tackle prevented the move from going any further and the referee went to the posts to award a penalty try which proved to be the last action of the afternoon.
Sligo next have back to back home games against Midleton and Tullamore and will be hoping to continue their excellent run of form.
The Midleton match kicks off at 2.30 at Hamilton Park next Saturday, 4th November.
Sligo: Jack Keegan, Callum Goddard, Mark Rooney, Mike Wells, Phillip Carter, Mark Butler, Ryan Feehily, Kuba Wojtkowicz, Shane O’Hehir, Mark Keegan, James Wilson, Ciaran Cassidy, Shane Boyle (Capt), Diarmuid O’Dowd-Hill, Matthew Cosgrove. Reps Ross O’Boyle, Conor Mitchell, Manu Parkin, Matthew T Davey, Niall Gray.