Wins for U17s, U16 girls and Development side
CONNACHT J1A League Round 12
MONIVEA 11 Sligo Development 17
SLIGO Development team travelled to Monivea on Sunday knowing that only a win would suffice. High winds and wintry weather conditions made it tough going for both teams. The home side were first to score but strong winds pushed the ball wide of the posts and the try remained unconverted. Monivea stretched their lead to 8 points with only 5 minutes remaining in the first half. Sligo responded by upping the pressure and were rewarded with a penalty just before half-time, which was slotted home by Euan Browne.
The second-half was an arduous affair as pitch conditions continued to worsen. The two sides battled for possession and the score line remained at 8-3, until Sligo’s Niall Gray showed his pace to cross the line for a well-deserved try. The difficult conversion was drilled home by Euan Browne to put Sligo 3points ahead. Monivea rallied again to eventually retake the lead by the narrowest of margins with only minutes left on the clock. Sligo kept their heads and quickly regained possession, working the ball up to towards the Monivea try line and then man-of-the-match Sean Mullin showed his speed and fancy footwork to slip through and secure the winning score. Euan Browne duly added the extras to give the visitors a deserved 6point cushion on the final whistle. Sligo Development team’s next game is away on Saturday, when they play bottom of the table Galwegians in Round 12 of the Connacht J1A league. Sligo Development: Craig Adams, Ross O’Boyle, Mark Keegan, Michael McMorrow, David Cawley, Liam McElhinney, Gary Golden, Jake Sexton, Brendan Cunningham, Euan Browne, Conor Brady, Sean Mullin, Matt Kavanagh, Garry O’Hehir, Niall Gray, Tom Gormley, Patrick Saba, Shaun Cawley
U16 Girls Win Again
Sunday saw Sligo RFC U16 Girls travel to Dubarry Park, Athlone to play the preliminary round of the Connacht U16 Girls’ Cup. Having already beaten Buccaneers only 3 weeks ago to earn their place in the Division 2 league final, the U16 Girls were under no illusion that the home side would be out to reverse their fortunes. Sligo had other ideas and a dominant second half saw the visitors run out eventual 5-22 winners. Katelyn Benson got her name on the score sheet for Sligo, but it was Cliodhna O’Sullivan who once again showed her speed and athleticism by scoring a further three tries and one conversion. The U16 Girls continue their incredible debut season on Saturday with Claremorris in the Cup quarter final. The U17 boys won their game in Connemara.