Munster Schools Junior Cup qualifier: Kinsale create history qualifying for the cup for the first time
Senan Horan, Kinsale Community School gets his pass away watched by Midleton CBS players during the Boys’ Schools U16 Munster Junior Cup qualifier at Virgin Media Park, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan
Kinsale CS 12
Midleton CBS 10
Kinsale Community School have qualified for the Munster Schools Junior Cup competition for the first time in their history with a hard-fought victory over Midleton CBS at Virgin Media Park on Wednesday.
Tries from back-rowers Ryan Harrington and Zach Ridgway, plus Darragh O’Sullivan’s winning conversion, secured the two-point triumph in this Munster Schools Junior Cup qualifier final.
Midleton controlled the early portion of this contest, with Cathal Power and Darragh Tobin’s tries pushing them 10-5 ahead, but Kinsale outlasted them down the stretch.
The first half featured a brilliant contest between outside centres William Brugger and Finn Matson, before Kinsale switched Brugger to inside centre and O’Sullivan to fly-half at the interval to gain second-half supremacy.
Backed by the wind, Midleton dominated the early territory, but some big hits by Brugger prevented them from building momentum. Instead, it was Kinsale who opened the scoring in the 15th minute.
From a scrum just inside the opposition half, Harry Murphy raced into space down the left flank.
Once he was stopped, Harrington took up the running to battle his way over the tryline. O’Sullivan’s touchline conversion narrowly missed the target.
Midleton were level within five minutes. Good work by John Forrest and Matson gained field position before the impressive Harry McCarthy’s head-down charge drew in half the Kinsale pack.
From there, it was a matter of finding the overlap as Paddy Cullinane released Power to score. Sam Morris’s conversion missed to the right.
Midleton sought the lead score before the break, and thought they had it through Power, only to be called back for a foot in touch.
They reached the half-time whistle level, 5-5.
The East Cork school kept the foot down from the restart. Marcel Kotowicz robbed a line-out before beating two defenders down the wing.
When Kinsale coughed up a five-metre penalty, scrum-half Tobin was alert to dive over from a quick tap-and-go. Morris’s conversion slipped past the left upright.
Three minutes later, Kinsale leapt back ahead. Senan Horan earned the initial penalty before some back-row interplay involving Harrington and Ridgway saw the latter go under the posts. O’Sullivan’s conversion made it 12-10.
Those two combined again to get Fionn Fitzpatrick within inches of the line, but Midleton escaped with a goalline drop-out.
When Midleton threatened a response, O’Sullivan came up with a super ruck penalty before his pinpoint touch-finder pinned their opponents back.
Scorers: Tries: Kinsale CS: R Harrington, Z Ridgway. Con: D O’Sullivan.
Midleton CBS: Tries: C Power, D Tobin.
KINSALE CS: L Treacy; M Morrison (S Horan 37) (A O’Callaghan 52), W Brugger (capt), D O’Sullivan, H Murphy; S Horan (K Hawkins 31), A Murphy (Z Ridgway 48); I O’Riordan (L Hayes 31), C Nagle, A O’Callaghan (A Smyth 47); A du Plessis Geiger, F Fitzpatrick; Z Ridgway (D Prior 45), C Boyle (O O’Donnell 45), R Harrington (A Haughney 56).
MIDLETON CBS: J Forrest; S Cullinane, F Matson, S Cocking, C Power; S Morris, D Tobin (capt); P Cullinane (T Hurley 31), R Spillane, O Wronkowski; D Hanna, H McCarthy; C O’Neill, M Kotowicz, C Crowley.
Referee: P Neville (MAR).
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