AIL: Cork clubs bite back to set up exciting run-in

CORK’S energia All-Ireland League clubs bared their teeth to rebound spectacularly from the previous week’s whitewash to claim five wins from a possible six and set-up a fascinating run-in to the season end with three games remaining.

There’s a break until the end of the month before another resumption with round 16 of 18 and all those Leeside sides still have much to play for across the five sections.

Cork Constitution stand on the brink of making the Division 1A semi-finals once again after they recovered from a home defeat to UCD by defeating battling Garryowen, who, despite being relegated, forced the Temple Hill all the way before going down 29-21 at Dooradoyle.

The visitors collected an important bonus point courtesy of tries from Billy Scannell, Billy Crowley, Jack Kelleher and Niall Kenneally with George Coomber kicking three conversions and a late penalty to seal the points.

The result leaves Con in third place on 54 points in the standings, which are headed by champions Clontarf on 61. Terenure College are second on 60 with Young Munster filling the last play-off berth on 47, five clear of Ballynahinch.

Con’s next outing is a visit from Shannon, who are second from bottom and facing a play-off with three teams from Division 1B to preserve their status, on the 24th, when a win would put them out of sight of Hinch, who travel to play Tarf the same afternoon.

Terenure host Garryowen and will expect to collect maximum points to cement second spot and remain on course for a home semi-final.

If the positions were to remain unchanged until the end of the marathon schedule, the play-offs would result in Clontarf-Young Munster and Terenure-Con semi-finals with the latter following on from the penultimate game in Cork in the regular season.

The break will help Con because of the hamstring injury to out-half and captain Aidan Moynihan, who sat out the Garryowen tie with former skipper Kenneally filling in at 10.

The only blot on what would have been a perfect day was Dolphin’s galling 27-24 defeat by fellow Division 2A strugglers UL Bohemians in Limerick.

The Cork side trailed 15-0 at one stage but hit back with a couple of converted tries and were in front near the end, when their opponents pounced for the winning try.

The Musgrave Park club are now eight points adrift at the foot of the table and 13 behind their next opponents Navan, who travel to play a Dolphin outfit in a must-win encounter for the home side.

UL Bohs head to Ballymena, who are two places and eight points better off than their opponents who remain in the play-off berth.

Otherwise, it was smiles all round Cork on Saturday night, none brighter than in Sundays Well after they posted their most impressive result in Division 2C, crossing for seven converted tries in their emphatic 49-15 win over Omagh Academicals.

The Well still prop up the table, but they’ve given themselves a sporting chance of extricating themselves from a perilous position and have closed the gap on their Ulster rivals to four points.

Ballina are third from bottom on 21 points, one more than Omagh and five ahead of the Well, who travel to the Co Mayo venue for a huge game next time out.

Midleton are seventh on 26 points after they produced a stirring display in toppling promotion chasers Tullamore 24-17 at Towns Park and the east Cork will have a major say in determining the final shape of the table.

Midleton make the only journey to play Omagh in their next assignment and this coupled with the Ballina-Well tie will impact greatly on the standings afterwards.

Cork’s Division 1B sides, Highfield and UCC, also rediscovered the winning feeling, Field remaining fourth after pipping Old Wesley while College were involved in an 80-point thriller with Banbridge at the other end of the spectrum.

Highfield are six behind Buccaneers in third and visit Athlone to face Eddie O’Sullivans charges while Wesley, five behind the Cork club, have leaders City of Armagh at home.

UCC are out of the play-off picture, but it’s still tight. They meet St Mary’s while bottom club Malone face Banbridge with just a point between them.