Scanlon try seals victory for Crescent College

Crescent College 11 Árd Scoil Rís 10

After an opening half of disappointingly poor quality, the game came to life on the turnover with Crescent always looking the more dangerous side. However they were consistently held at bay by a fine Ard Scoil defence in which flanker Darren Horan and number eight Michael Sherry did trojan work.

Crescent were certainly the more innovative side and their diminutive half-backs, Andrew Burke and Diarmuid Upton, were a constant threat, while further out skipper Ronan O’Sullivan, his centre partner, Eoin Breen, and especially right-wing Mark Doyle frequently went close. More often than not, the Ard Scoil defence held firm although Doyle sent flanker Ruairi Herbert over on 18 minutes only to be called back by Trevor Collins who ruled that the scoring pass was forward. For the best part of an hour, it looked as if stalemate would prevail and the issue decided by penalties. However, against the run of play, the game was turned on its head in the 62nd minute when Ard Scoil second-row Sean Hogan burst through from a line-out on the Crescent 22-metre line and showed a commendable turn of foot to make the try line before the startled Crescent defence could react.