30 Nov -0001
Match report
Tullamore Lose Narrowly in Limerick
A.I.L Div 2 B Old Crescent 7 Tullamore 6
This was one that definitely got away. In a poor game played in Limerick last Saturday Old Crescent stumbled over the line against a disappointing Tullamore side. A losing bonus point was poor reward for the visitors against a very average home side. This was a game littered with mistakes especially by the visitors. Poor decision making, knock ons and general mediocre play made the game very stop start. A fussy Touch Judge also broke whatever flow was in the game. It was a decent enough day for a game with no rain but a strong breeze. Tullamore had the benefit of the wind in the first half and largely dominated possession and territory. Despite struggling in the scrum all game it was ironic that Old Crescent got the winning score from a scrum. It came after 15 minutes when the home side were awarded a scrum 5 on their first visit to the Tullamore 22. Tullamore put on the pressure and the set piece wheeled sideways for the home number 8 to dart over for a soft score. The conversion made it 7-0 for the home side. The rest of the half was spent in the Crescent 22 but try as they might Tullamore failed to cross the whitewash. On at least 3 occasions bad handling let Tullamore down when a score looked on. Aaron Deverell kicked a penalty from 20 metres just before the break to leave the home side 7-3 to the good. With the wind on their backs in the second half Crescent pinned Tullamore back for the first quarter but never really threatened the visitors line. Tullamore lost playmaker Aaron Deverell early in the second half but his replacement John Moloney played very well. A penalty from the 22 by Moloney in the 50th minute reduced the margin to 7-6. Gavin Kelly was then red carded very harshly on the word of a touch judge. Tullamore to their credit now played their best rugby and dominated matters despite being down to 14 men. They were really aggrieved when a Crescent player was only yellow carded for a punch with 15 minutes to go. Tullamore camped in the home 22 and were held up on the line on 2 occasions. John Moloney was very unlucky not to score after a nice break and the pack drove Crescent over the line in injury time only for the referee to award the home side a penalty for holding on in the tackle. The final whistle brought great relief for the home side but acute disappointment for Tullamore. There were few psitives to take from the game for Tullamore. The damage was done in the first half when a wind backed Tullamore wasted a huge amount of possession. Ger Molloy, Rob Connor and John Hayes battled manfully up front while John Moloney, Brian Geraghty and Michael Brazil were best of the backline. Tullamore are now in 5th place in the 16 team group.
Panel
Brian Geraghty, Tom Gilligan, Michael Brazil, Ivor Scully, Jordan Conroy, Aaron Deverell, Richie Hughes, Ger Molloy, Kevin Browne, Eamonn Bracken, Ivor Deverell, Philip Jordan, Cathal Feighery, Rob Connor, Gavin Kelly, Darragh Lowry, Barry Stewart, John Hayes, John Moloney, Conor Molloy..
