SLIGO 35 BUCCANEERS 28
BUCCANEERS late rally came up just too short as they went down 35-28 to Sligo in their Bank of Ireland Connacht Senior League game played at Hamilton Park, Strandhill, on Saturday. The midlanders allowed Sligo ease to a 28-0 lead after 50 minutes before they finally galvanised themselves. Although scoring 4 tries in the final half-hour, the Pirates ran out of time to retrieve the situation.
Buccs made four changes from their opening day fixture, three of them in the pack with Oisin Dolan (who skippered the team), Conor Sheehan and Robbie Byrne coming in. Last week substitute Abel Bouwens started at flyhalf on this occasion with Leo MacFarlane switching to scrumhalf.
A fresh breeze and the prodigious boot of home outhalf Euan Brown dominated the first half after which the Yeats County men led 23-0. Strandhill was a rain-free area for both matches and the pitch was in topclass condition. Assisted by the wind, Sligo enjoyed consistent territory before Brown opened the scoring with a 9th minute penalty. Three minutes later he knifed through from halfway for a try which he also converted.
A rare Buccs spell of pressure saw Corey Reid raid but Robbie Byrne was not able to hold on to his offload. The north-westerners had the final say of the half when Juan Vallejo waltzed through a series of soft tackles much too easily. Brown’s conversion of this 32nd minute try gave Sligo a 23-0 lead at the interval.
Five minutes into the second half Cameron Griffith ghosted from midfield and sucked in the cover before releasing Louis McVitty for an unconverted bonus point try wide on the right. Buccs finally got some momentum when Orrin Burgess set up a counter-attack that was finished at the left corner flag by Dylan Duffy for a 50th minute try which he also converted. Shortly afterwards a knock-on was spotted by a touch-judge to rule out a Buccs touchdown.
But the Athlonians were awarded a penalty try on 58 minutes after McVitty’s deliberate knock-on denied Reid a clearcut try scoring opportunity. The home winger was duly yellow-carded but, crucially, Sligo grabbed the next score when Facundo Dellamea romped through all too easily from halfway on the hour mark and Brown had no problem adding the conversion.
Buccs intensity was now close to what it should be and the growing pressure on the hosts saw Evin Ballantine sin-binned following a series of penalties conceded the home side. A well-worked move off a scrum by the visitors was finished by Harry Balsiger on 70 minutes, another fine Duffy touchline conversion narrowing the arrears to 21-35.
The Pirates now continued to pile forward with Ryan Duffy powering over for a bonus point try, converted by brother Dylan, but Buccaneers had let themselves too much to do and thus had to settle for two bonus points. It was a mixed display by the Shannonsiders with missed tackles and an time creaking lineout not helping their cause as did a lethargic start to the contest. There were promising signs as the game progressed but these will need to be in evidence from the off from hereon.
SLIGO:- C.Griffith; L.McVitty, C.Creaven, B.Hynes, J.F.Pereyra Vallejo; E.Brown, J.Fleming; L.Timms, M.Earley (captain), K.Wojtkowicz; E.Ballantine, P.Lynch; M.O’Hehir, C.Nielsen and F.Dellamea. Replacements used:- S.Tonra, O.Lawley, B.Gericke, L.Scott and C.Moore.
BUCCANEERS:- D.Duffy; R.Murphy-Sweeney, T.Shine, C.Reid, O.Burgess; A.Bouwens, L.MacFarlane; J.Kelly, O.Dolan (captain), C.Byrne; C.Sheehan, S.Fogarty; A.Saka, R.Byrne and L.Balsiger. Replacements:- A.Markov (for Fogarty, h/t), C.Daly (for Saka, h/t), R.Duffy (for Byrne, 47 mins), H.Balsiger (for Burgess, inj. 58 mins), O.O’Donoghue (for Kelly, 61 mins), F.McDonnell (for Sheehan, 61 mins), A.Saka (for Daly, 61 mins) and D.Connolly (for MacFarlane, 69 mins).
Referee:- Shane Gaughan (Connacht).
