UCC hang tough and regain pride

LANSDOWNE’S promotion ambitions suffered a serious setback in this fiercely-contested AIL division 1B clash at the Mardyke on Saturday afternoon, as UCC came from behind in the final quarter to turn an 11-3 deficit into a glorious victory.

It was sweet revenge for the students, who suffered the embarrassment of a whopping 61-13 defeat against the same opposition in early October on Lansdowne’s new artificial pitch at the Aviva Stadium, and a win made all the better by the fact that this was also a designated ‘colours’ match.

A merited win indeed for UCC, but Lansdowne contributed much to their own demise. Far more experienced than the students, a mix of former contracted players and Leinster Academy up-and-comers in their ranks, they dominated possession, spent many minutes camped inside the UCC 22, but time and again they came up short, coughing up turnover after turnover.