NE triumph for Boyne youth team
BOYNE SKERRIES 25 15
ALL-IRELAND Under-18 finalists Skerries were brought back to earth as Boyne staged a strong finish to capture the North East League crown at Shamrock Lodge.
Having already secured the Leinster League title as well as narrowly losing to Bandon in that All-Ireland decider, Skerries were fancied to add to their silverware, but the Boyne lads were quietly confident themselves following their performances in two previous meetings between the sides this season.
Skerries did race into an early lead, scoring two unconverted tries to lead 10-3 after only 15 minutes, but just before half-time Daniel Molloy narrowed the gap to two points with a fine finish in the corner.
Replacement winger Glenn Tuam then finished off a multi-phase try on his opposite wing to put the home side 13-10 ahead after 10 minutes play in the second half.
You could see the Boyne boys growing in confidence following this score, but Skerries are not Leinster champions for nothing and they replied with a good try of their own to regain the lead - 15-13 - with about a quarter of the match remaining.
Following the restart Boyne began to get a grip on the game and looked very dangerous when they held onto the ball.
Standout players in this period were captain Tadhg O’Reilly, Evan McGinn, Andrew Dalton, Cody O’Neill, Harry Evans, Max McGloin and James Farrell.
Having regained the momentum, Boyne made their dominance count on the scoreboard courtesy of two wonderful team tries claimed by Jack Mitchell and Andrew Cox.
That gave the home side a 10-point advantage and they closed out the game with a safety-first approach, starving Skerries of the ball. Needless to say, there were huge celebrations at the sound of the final whistle.
The coaching team wished to acknowledge the contribution of Boyne Under-17 players who joined the 18s a few weeks ago,