Boyne club claim ‘Beachy’ honours

THE North East Area Leinster Branch got the 2017/2018 season off in fine style with the now annual Beachy Cup J2 Blitz.

The competition is named in memory of the late John ‘Beachy’ McCreanor who played most of his rugby with Boyne RFC, though he also had a playing connection with Ardee RFC and, d, in his youth, with Delvin RFC.

It was therefore fore rather fitting that hat

Boyne J2 won thehe Beachy Cup Final- against Ashbourne J2 and Ardee prevailed in the Plate decider in a cracking- match againstst Swords. Last year’s ar’s Cup pipped winners Dundalk Balbrigganlbrigdalk J2 to clinch the Beachyhy Bowl.

This year, the competition was held at Dundalk’s Mill Road grounds and it featured full 15-a-side teams playing four 20-minute matches against various opponents on the one afternoon.

The Beachy Cup is a great opportunity for clubs to knock the cobwebs off and to get their seasons up and running after the long summer break. The Blitz itself is played in a very positive and friendly spirit, but more than anything the Beachy Cup is a social event that helps bring old friends and sporting rivals together again at the start of a new season. This year seven teams from the North East pparticipated - Ardee, AsAshbourne J2, BalbriggBalbriggan, Boyne J2, DundDundalk J2, Navan J2 aand Swords. OOverall winners newinners Boyne RFC wewere captained by Eoghan DuDuffy (pictured) and coached by RobRobert Shuttleworth worthShuttleworth and both men, along wwith some othersers who playedpla for Ardee and Boyne on the daday, were former teammates of Beachy McCreanor. The participating teams may encounter each other again soon as the North East Area competitions, notably the J2 Jenkinson Cup group stages, now get under way before the Leinster League campaign kicks off.