Gorey finish with flourish
Bragging rights secured
NEAR NEIGHBOURS Arklow were the visitors to Clonattin for a highly-anticipated round two clash in the Bank Of Ireland Provincial Towns Cup on Sunday.
One of the best home crowds for some time turned out, with a good number making the short trip down the N11 to support the men in black and red.
Gorey struck early, in the third minute, with Nevil Copeland going over in the corner following some good hands in the back line.
A combination of resolute Arklow defending and poor Gorey handling meant it was quite some time before the home side were to add another five-pointer to the scoreboard, with only a James Nolan penalty in the 15th minute the reward for their efforts (8-0).
When Gorey did score another try, in the 34th minute, it was again Copeland crossing the line in almost a carbon copy of his first.
Just before half-time a David Shannon try brought the score to 20-0, and made the second-half task for Arklow that bit more difficult.
But they certainly started the second-half in a strong manner. The Gorey pack were put under serious pressure which eventually led to a penalty try in the 47th minute, and at 20-7 the Arklow crowd got more vocal.
Gary Rynhart, with a very strong run and good finish after 58 minutes, dented hopes of an Arklow comeback, and Gareth Bater finished them off with his score bringing it to 34-7 in the 63rd minute.
In fairness to Arklow they didn’t throw the towel in and were rewarded with a try in the 70th minute for 34-14.
But from when Gary Rynhart scored his second, in the 75th minute, further Gorey tries were added by David Shannon (77 minutes), Stephen Duke (78 minutes) and Mark Whelan (80 minutes), leaving the final score at 62-14 and the home team with a comprehensive margin.
Following the match news came through of the quarter-final pairings, with Gorey facing a tough trip to Ashbourne on March 19.
Team: R. Deering, B. O’Connor, D. Bellanova, D. O’Leary, A. Bond, M. Whelan, P. de Barra, J.P. Redmond (capt.), S. Horan, S. Duke, J. Butterworth, J. Nolan, G. Rynhart, N. Copeland, D. Shannon, E. O Scannail, C. Allen, W. Rothwell, S. Hadden, P. Horan, H. Gaiser, G. Bater, C. Butler, A. Walsh.