Dolphin snatch late scores

Dolphin 16 Shannon 9

Out-half Barry Keeshan was the toast of Musgrave Park this afternoon as he struck a penalty and drop goal in injury-time to guide Dolphin to a 16-9 victory over Shannon.

This was a real arm wrestle of a match, with the wet conditions playing their part in making it a forwards-dominated game.

Munster's James Coughlan marked his 100th senior game for Dolphin with a 24th minute try, which Keeshan converted to add to a sixth minute penalty.

Young out-half Gareth Quinn-McDonogh struck a penalty from the 22-metre line to reduce the arrears for Shannon to 10-3.

The visiting pack enjoyed a period of dominance in the third quarter, and Quinn-McDonogh stuck over two further penalties to whittle Dolphin's lead down to a single point.

However, Dolphin's pack eeked out the hard yards when it mattered most, and Keeshan did the rest to kick the Corkmen to an encouraging win.

It was a confidence-boosting result for Dolphin as they had six league debutants in their starting line-up, and Keeshan really showed his mettle after missing some earlier kicks.

Scorers: Dolphin: Try: James Coughlan; Con: Barry Keeshan; Pens: Barry Keeshan 2; Drop: Barry Keeshan

Shannon: Pens: Gareth Quinn-McDonogh 3