BALLINASLOE 68 BUCCANEERS SECONDS 0
BUCCANEERS SECONDS were on the back foot right from the start in their Bank of Ireland Connacht Junior Cup game against Ballinasloe at Moher Road on Sunday. Buccs were the east Galway outfit’s nemesis last season but the Pirates are a much weaker crew this term and the in-form westerners savoured their 68-0 victory.
In drizzly conditions and a cut-up, heavy surface Ballinasloe took a quick grip on the proceedings and, after Buccs erred with a restart on their goal line, the hosts punished them when Stephen Grenham broke through after the resultant five metre scrum for a third minute try. Seven minutes later a needless knock-on gave Ballinasloe close-in territory and Nick Cusack darted in all too easily for his side’s second try.
Home captain Grenham ran in between the uprights on 18 minutes and he completed a hat-trick six minutes later when he cantered in in similar fashion. Cusack landed all the straight-forward conversions to push the wind-assisted Ballinasloe 28-0 ahead.
Almost half an hour had passed before the visitors got decent territory inside the home half following a surge by Joaquin del Olmo. They remained there until the half-time whistle but were unable to apply the finishing touch to a number of opportunities. The Pirates continued to take the game to the hosts for a quarter of an hour after the change of ends even though the breeze had now abated but could not breach steadfast home defending.
Cormac Finn knifed through the Buccs cover to send Conor Lohan in for a 55th minute try and shortly afterwards the scorer sent Robert Enraght-Moony in for a try. The substitute weaved in for his second try before Lohan romped through for his second touchdown. Enraght-Moony helped himself to a further brace of tries, his third following a pinpoint crossfield kick. Cusack missed just one conversion of Ballinasloe’s ten tries.
Buccs were not able to match the hosts despite the best efforts of del Olmo in the forwards exchanges and Cormac McDonagh at flyhalf.
BALLINASLOE:- C.Finn; K.Wieczorek, C.Lohan, K.Blackweir, A.O’Leary; N.Cusack, A.McGreal; K.Gorman, J.Curley, B.Willmore; N.Staunton, P.Grehan; M.O’Neill, S.Egan and S.Grenham (captain). Replacements used:- M.Kelly, C.Smyth, C.Harewood, B.Feeney and R.Enraght-Moony.
BUCCANEERS:- R.Greene; B.Daly, S.Treacy, T.McGann, C.Rooney-Digan; C.McDonagh, G.Fallon; N.Harney, C.Brill, C.Byrne; K.Connolly, J.del Olmo; C.Morrissey, J.Scouler and S.Fogarty. Replacements:- K.Grehan (for Harney), R.Cahill (for Fogarty), E.Naughton (for Connolly), J.Rosney (for Treacy), S.Flynn (for Byrne) and S.Fogarty (for Scouler).
Referee:- Mark Fitzgerald (Connacht).
