BUCCANEERS 5 TUAM 16
Despite putting in a battling and sustained effort Buccaneers came up short against Tuam in the Connacht Womens Cup final played at The Sportsground, Galway, on Sunday. A final move try put an extra gloss to Tuam’s 16-5 victory but right up to that late, late score, Buccs were still very much in contention in a tremendously competitive decider played on a firm sod and fine weather.
Tuam settled the quicker to the task on hand but missed a 6th minute penalty but outhalf Emma Keane found the range from in front of the posts six minutes later. It took the Pirates the bulk of the opening quarter to get into their stride and into the opposition half. With Sabina Egan and Susan Seery breaks now testing the Tuam rearguard, the Athlone girls began to make inroads. They forced a number of penalties which they tapped and gradually edged close to the Co. Galway side’s line where patient and persistent attacking was finished off wide on the left for an unconverted 23rd minute try by Gohar Kostanyan. Nine minutes later, Keane restored the lead for Tuam with a penalty that left them 6-5 ahead at halftime.
The diagonal breeze had freshened noticeably during the first half and it was to prove of real benefit to Tuam in the second period. Eight minutes after the change of ends, a smart crossfield kick weighted nicely in the wind and Nicola Kilgarriff won the race between the two fullbacks to pounce for an unconverted try wide on the right. This gave Tuam an 11-5 lead which they worked doggedly to protect.
With Sarah Kelly thundering into the contest and Lorna Stuart-Trainor, Antoinette Kemmy, Niamh Gough and Kostanyan probing and tackling, Buccs were still very much in the hunt. However, despite a number of promising breaks, they just could not fashion the final pass or offload necessary to unlock Tuam’s no-nonsense defending. In the final move, Amanda Kelly made it over the Buccaneers line for an unconverted try that sealed the 16-5 victory. Tuam, that bit smarter and a lot more physical, were deserving winners albeit the margin flattered them.
The Buccaneers girls gave it their all but lacked a vital cutting edge that would surely have been provided by Anna McGann (not released) or Niamh Ni Dhroma (abroad). They can justifiably hold their heads up after a season in which quite a number of ‘newbies’ joined their squad. They will have gained crucial experience and displayed wonderful commitment and promise, so the future looks really bright for Buccs and their mentors.
BUCCANEERS:- S.Seery; S.Hennessy, S.Egan, H.Kilduff, A.Hayes; E.O’Brien, N.Gough (captain); L.Flynn, T.Finnerty, S.Kelly; G.Kostanyan, A.Antonissen; L.Stuart-Trainor, A.Kemmy and A.Hennessy. Replacements:- D.Cromar (for Antonissen, h/t), C.Malone (for Finnerty, 50 mins), K.Ryan (for A.Hennessy, 50 mins), A.Antonissen (for S.Hennessy, inj. 66 mins), A.Hennessy (for Ryan, 66 mins), J.Dowling (for Egan, inj. 75 mins) and D.West (for Hayes, 75 mins).
