2010-12-11 / Queens / UL Home:
CITY OF DERRY 45 Clogher Valley 05
Clogher Valley came into this Ulster Qualifying League Fixture against City of Derry having won their last five Cup and League Fixtures.
They were confident pre match of getting something from this game and possibly on the back of their run of good form the scent victory was in the air. City of Derry having only played two games in the previous six weeks were unsure of their form and with so little game time there was the possibility of being rusty. The Derry team and supporters need not have worried because from the kick-off there was a freshness and hunger and energy about their play that totally overwhelmed Clogher. Derry scored six try’s that were all out of the top drawer and considering the terrible conditions the players and their Coaches can be well satisfied with the work that has been done in training during their resent inactivity on the games front.
Wind and driving rain just arrived as the two teams took to the pitch but with Derry having a slight advantage with the elements they soon had territorial control for the next thirty five minutes. Derry lost their No 8 Colin Mitchell after two minutes with a calf injury and he was replaced by Brian Prue. There were only five minutes gone when a solid Derry scrum forty meters out which was fashioned by the outstanding front row of David Witherow, Sam McAuley and Sam Duffy. This solid platform allowed the inspirational scrum half Andrew Semple to break and find full back Peter Henderson coming into the line and his pace and sides step allowed him to score a try under the posts. Richard McCarter added the conversion and he also tagged on a penalty five minutes later after a Clogher scrum infringement.
Derry were ten points in front and with their back row of Karl Gemmell, David Houston and Stephen Corr winning all the ball on the ground and linking well with their backs it was all one way traffic. Corr and Houston won quick ruck ball in midfield on twenty minutes McCarter made the break and found winger Josh Lewis with a long skip pass who in turn drew his man and released centre David Funston inside him to run in from thirty meters and side step the full back in the process to score under the posts with McCarter adding the extras.
The try of the match and Derry’s third of the game came on twenty five minutes. Bob McKillop doing his job with power and aggression going forward as usual carried the ball supported by Brian Prue to the Clogher 22 meter line, Semple found Josh Lewis on the touch line who beat three men the first with a hand off the next with pace and finally a side step to score a special try wide out to put Derry twenty two points in front.
Clogher finally got some possession as the game entered the last ten minutes of the first half. Their Captain Gary Giles began to make an impression and with the second row pair of Matt Robinson and Davy Sharkey winning go forward ball, finally impressive and busy scrum half James Bates began to pull the strings. Bates was making breaks and kicking astutely and Clogher No 8 Barry Wilson was carrying ball with great effect. The Clogher line out was good and on thirty five minutes from a catch and well structured drive Gary Giles touched down for a try and their only score of the game.
The second half saw a battle for supremacy that lasted twenty minutes played out by the two packs in an area fifteen meters either side of the half way line. Stephen Corr showed his return to form was complete during this period with many big hits and ball carries that gave him the Man of the Match award. The conditions were worsening by the minute and the required fourth try bonus point that Derry craved was becoming elusive. The Derry forwards raised their game Witherow, McAuley and Duffy dug deep and produced the perfect go forward scrum ball 20 meters out, Semple found Richard McCarter who scored a hallmark try when he had the vision to see a gap in Clogher’s midfield defense and score a try under the posts, McCarter converted himself, game over.
McCarter was now on fire and he produced the most delicate chip kicks over Clogher defense to find Rudi Moore who had run thirty meters from the wing to collect and score under the posts McCarter added the extras. Clogher were now a beaten team and on thirty minutes tried to kick their way out of their own 22 only to kick straight to Rudi Moore to completed his brace of try’s and Derry scoring for the day.
City of Derry Coach Bevan Lunch said after the game “that was a satisfying victory for all concerned. The players have to take the credit, they have been doing an extra nights training for the last six weeks and it showed today there were rewards for their labors. I thought our midfield defense was outstanding and Ryan Campbell had a massive game for us. We go into next week’s game in good heart with a numbers of things to work on in training this week. We look forward to Armagh in Derry on Saturday and I would ask everyone in the City to come along and give their support to the team in this vital fixture”.
City of Derry Team: Peter Henderson, Rudi Moore David Founston, Ryan Campbell, Josh Lewis, Richard McCarter, Andrew Semple, Stephen Corr, Colin Mitchell, Karl Gemmell, Bob McKillop, David Houston, Sam Duffy, Sam McAuley, David Witherow. Replacements; Cathal Creggan, Brian Prue.
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