Summerhill College secure maiden Connacht Junior Cup title

FIRST OF MANY? Summerhill College celebrate with the trophy. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Connacht Schools Junior Cup Final 

Summerhill College, Sligo 18 (Carlos Isidro, Hugh Óg Arnold, Conor Devaney tries, Cillian O’Neill pen) 

Marist College, Athlone 3 (Cian Rafferty, Rian Murray and Christopher Hannon tries, Michael Quinn one pen, one conversion) 

Summerhill College of Sligo secured their first ever Connacht Schools Junior Cup title on Wednesday afternoon when a late flurry of scores put a deceptively large gap between themselves and the Marist College at the end of a tense and tight final at the Sportsground.

Most of the early action took place between the two 10m lines, though Summerhill had a couple of ‘what if’ moments, particularly an attempted intercept from Conor McGoldrick that didn’t quite stick and a good move through the backs that ended with Carlos Isidro’s pass not quite finding Connor Van Rensburg with the try line opening up.

Marist College, who had played some excellent defensive rugby but never really got their attack going in the first quarter, finally got the chance to play ball inside the Summerhill 22 in the ten minutes before half-time and they got off the mark from an Andrew Henson penalty.

That lead didn’t last however as Isidro’s try in the right corner made it 5-3 at half-time, and that was how it stayed right up until the last five minutes, when Hugh Óg Arnold touched down after Summerhill mauled from the 22 all the way up to just short of the Marist line.

A Cillian O’Neill penalty left Marist two scores adrift and as the Athlone side chased the game going into stoppage time, a long clearance was followed up by Daniel Allen and Conor Devaney, with Allen hacking the ball forward along the right-hand sideline and setting up Devaney for the last score of the game and a final flourish for the Sligo town school.

Summerhill College: C Van Rensburg; JP Flanagan, C McGoldrick, P Brady, R O’Connor; C O’Neill, C Isidro; A Feeney, H Óg Arnold, S Garvey; N Fitzgerald, J Mackey; D Allen, J Laws, R O’Neill.

Replacements: A Nathan-Jiminez for Feeney (13), Feeney for Nathan-Jiminez (32), C Devaney for Brady (49), R Gilleece for Garvey (60), F Kavanagh-Beirne for Mackey (60+2), C O’Hehir for Flanagan (60+2), P Maciorowski for Devaney (60+5).

Marist College: P Finnan; M Turner, A Henson, K Mahon, O O’Donoghue; A Cotton, D Burke; C West, J Kelly, D Ó Leochain; R Heaslip, C McCormack; R Colleran, K Byrne, K Blessing.

Replacements: S O’Connor for Blessing (30), O Egan for Burke (34), D Glennon for Cotton (42), Burke for Finnan (51).

Referee: J O’Donnell.