Liam Griffith gave another Man of The Match performance vs Westport in Sunday’s J2 game

Claremorris Colts secured their first Connacht Junior League win with a hard fought but ultimately convincing 19-5 win against Westport in Ballyhaunis on Sunday afternoon.  In perfect playing conditions, Claremorris secured the win courtesy of a fine forward display and some excellent defensive work from the backs.

The game was slow to settle with both teams trying to assert their authority up front.  Claremorris were gaining the upper hand in the scrum but found it difficult to get good field position against a determined and organised Westport team.  As the half progressed, Westport were beginning to lose their discipline a little and  Claremorris began to press their advantage.  The scrum dominance was beginning to tell and the Westport scrumhalf was getting punished repeatedly for delaying the feed.  As the result of a high tackle, Shane Meehan took the opportunity to open the scoring with a penalty after 34 minutes and repeated the dose on the stroke of half time with a fine effort from the touchline on the right.  This made it 6-0 to the Colts at half-time, probably a fair reflection on the forty minutes played.

Westport started the second half very brightly with an increased work rate and  intensity that the Colts struggled to live with.  Despite the best efforts of a resolute Claremorris defence, Westport broke the line with a close-in effort.  However they failed to add the extras and this left the score at 6-5 in favour of the Colts after 50 minutes.
Claremorris were a little shaken by the Westport onslaught but Shane Meehan steadied the ship somewhat when he immediately replied with a penalty.

However, the introduction of Pearse Hahessy into the pack after 54 minutes proved to be a  masterstroke.  Immediately he galvanised the team and the players responded brilliantly.   For the next 15 minutes Claremorris took the game to Westport with Shane Meehan kicking cleverly in behind the Westport rush defence and the backs chasing the kicks brilliantly and making their first time tackles.  Claremorris finally got the score that their efforts deserved when the workaholic Padraig Kilboyle picked up the ball about 25 metres out and with an impressive turn of foot, burned off the Westport defence to dot down under the posts.  The extras were not added leaving the score 14-5 to the Colts.

The Colts had their tails up and were finishing the game strongly.  Claremorris’ mauling and rucking was quick and dynamic and this sapped the life out of a brave but ultimately outgunned Westport outfit who managed to hold out until the dying stages of the game when scrumhalf David Bell lit up the day with a moment of sheer genius.  Showing an incredible amount of speed, he chased a kick and just when he got to the ball he chipped the moving ball up into his hands without breaking his stride and sauntered in under the posts for certainly the try of the game if not the try of  the season.  The extras were not added and the final whistle was blown to the delight of the Claremorris team and support.

This was a  polished Claremorris performance .  The Colts played tighter and smarter and used the kick chase to good effect, keeping the Westport rush defence honest.  The error count was down and the handling was as good as ever.  Best for Claremorris in a fine pack effort were the bloodied but unbowed Thomas Cryan, sub Pearse Hahessy, David O’Connor, Adrian Maye, Padraig Kilboyle and Liam Griffith.  Best of the backs on the day were David Bell, the Meehan brothers, Dara McDonagh, Dave Cosgrove and Ian O’Brien.

Claremorris Colts RFC: Ian O’Brien, Shane Devane, Dave Cosgrove, Dara McDonagh, Damian Meehan, Shane Meehan, David Bell, David O’Connor, Adrian Maye, Thomas Cryan, Morgan Jennings, Matthew Nicholson, John Costello, Padraig Kilboyle, Liam Griffith.

Subs used: Kevin Sheridan, Pearse Hahessy, Peter Noone, Kenneth Groarke, Paul Murphy.

Thanks to Michael Hett for the report on the match.