BUCCANEERS 14 ENNISKILLEN 31
Winners of the Scallon Cup for the past four seasons, Buccaneers relinquished their grip on the trophy when going down 31-14 to Enniskillen at Dubarry Park on Saturday. The game was in the melting pot until the final ten minutes when the visitors scored 3 tries to get a merited victory.
This contest between the Connacht and Ulster Girls U-14 league champions was a finely balanced affair until that late spurt by the Fermanagh girls. On a bright day with only a light breeze to contend with, Enniskillen opened the scoring with a second minute try. Eight minutes later, Buccs turned over ball close to their own line and Koko Bassey made a dazzling length of pitch break to secure the score of the match. Eliza Mallon converted this try for a 7-5 lead. Midway through the half, Enniskillen’s inside centre scored her second try which she also converted for a 12-7 advantage at the interval.
14 minutes into the second half, Mallon weaved her way in for a try and she added the conversion to edge Buccaneers 14-12 ahead. But Enniskillen regained the lead with their third try and in the closing moments they added a further two to complete the 31-14 victory. The northerners were the stronger outfit and displayed better continuity but the winning margin flattered them. However, the Buccaneers girls acquitted themselves well with Saoirse Trainor making a lot of carries, Mallon busy at flyhalf and Bassey (possibly the youngest player on view) showing rich potential. Paul Fleming presented the Scallon Cup to victorious captain Evanne Hill.
BUCCANEERS:- K.Bassey; T.Linney, F.Hannan, L.Glennon, K.Mburu; E.Mallon, A.Nolan; M.Lowry, A.Kenny, J.Berry; S.Gill, S.Trainor; F.Ryan, E.Hanlon, E.West, E.White, K.Coleman and L.Gaynor.
