AIL Men's Division 1A round-up: Clontarf land Bateman Cup and move top for Christmas

DOUBLE JOY: Clontarf's Dylan Donnellan celebrates with the Bateman Cup. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor

Clontarf celebrated on the double as a hard-fought 21-16 win over Ballynahinch earned them their first Energia Bateman Cup and moved them to the top of Division 1A for Christmas.

Ballynahinch did everything they could to recapture the winning feeling of the club’s famous 2009 All-Ireland Cup triumph. They led for 75 minutes of a game that doubled up as an Energia All-Ireland League fixture and this season’s Bateman Cup decider.

However, Clontarf, who trailed 13-0 at one stage having played into the wind in the first half, made up for their 2015 final loss thanks to converted tries from Leinster’s Alex Soroka (60 minutes) and his older brother Ivan (76).

It was a forwards-dominated contest on Castle Avenue’s all-weather pitch, and Andy Wood’s men eventually prevailed to add the Bateman Cup to their league title from last season, while also hitting the summit after St. Mary’s College had earlier lost to Lansdowne.

The unerring Conor Rankin landed three penalties and converted Ulster Academy prop Tom McAllister’s 22nd-minute try, giving a wind-backed Ballynahinch a deserved 16-7 half-time lead.

Clontarf had the Leinster quartet of Alex Soroka, Alex Usanov, Niall Smyth, and Alan Spicer starting in a hulking pack. Their maul forced a penalty try, five minutes before the break, which saw ‘Hinch captain Claytan Milligan sin-binned.

Alex Soroka made up for a near miss by driving over to close the gap to 16-14. ‘Hinch defended manfully but could not hold out, with Joe Charles’ yellow card preceding replacement Ivan Soroka’s decisive score, which Conor Kelly converted.

The result means Clontarf become the sixth different club to win the Bateman Cup since it was reintroduced in 2010/11. They keep the trophy in Dublin after victories in recent years for two of their capital rivals, Terenure College and Lansdowne.

Jordan Coghlan celebrates Clontarf's winning try during the Bateman Cup final. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile.

It was a bitterly disappointing finish for Ballynahinch who took their points well and managed to frustrate a much-fancied ‘Tarf. Queen’s University remain the last Ulster winners of the Bateman Cup back in 1937.

Meanwhile, Cork Constitution scored four second-half tries without reply to turn things around against UCD, emerging as 36-19 winners at the Bowl.

Cork Con had the advantage of a strong wing after the break and erased a 19-10 deficit with Billy Scannell, Jack Kelleher, Matthew Bowen, and Darragh French all dotting down.

French's older brother, Sean, had scored a breakaway effort for the visitors during an electric opening 18 minutes. It was two tries apiece, with UCD leading 14-12 after seven-pointers from impressive backs Ben Brownlee and Paddy Clancy.

The students saved the best for last, in the 37th minute. A sharp lineout set the platform, and when the ball was switched back to the left, great hands from Clancy and Ruben Moloney set Eoghan Walsh free and he fed Thomas Quinn on his inside to finish off.

It was Con who gradually seized the initiative on the resumption. UCD lost replacement Mikey O'Reilly to the sin bin, and Scannell profited to score from a 52nd-minute lineout drive.

Sean Condon's yellow card briefly evened up the numbers, before O'Reilly's return to the pitch came just after UCD replacement Andrew O'Mahony had seen yellow for a high tackle on Darragh French.

Con number 8 Kelleher burrowed over for his seventh try of the season, edging them ahead at 22-19. Bowen followed up with an outstanding individual score, jinking away from halfway and evading six defenders on his way to the posts.

With their bonus point secured, Jonny Holland's men wrapped up the result with inside centre French crashing in under the posts from an Adam Maher pass. Con's third straight win leaves them level on points with fourth-placed Terenure College.

Terenure are licking their wounds after losing 30-24 to a fired-up Old Belvedere team. Morgan Meredith's ung-busting 75th-minute try proved to be the match winner for 'Belvo who have found some form with two wins in three games.

Since winning their local derby against St. Mary's, Carlos Spencer's Terenure side have now suffered three successive defeats. They did pick up two bonus points at Ollie Campbell Park, with Leinster hooker John McKee among their try scorers.

Old Belvedere had led 10-5 at half-time, with Will McDonald's seventh-minute try - he absorbed a couple of tackles to power over in impressive fashion - setting them on their way.

Craig Adams dived over in the left corner to reply for 'Nure, gratefully accepting an inviting long pass from Griffin Culver. A David Wilkinson penalty, just a few minutes later, had Belvedere five points up.

There were four tries scored inside a breathless first 12 minutes of the second half. James Dillon fended off Adams to run in his first league try since moving to 'Belvo, before Aran Egan and Adams both crossed in quick succession.

Adam La Grue fed Adams to complete his brace at the end of a free-flowing 48th minute attack, with Chris Cosgrave's crisp conversion making it 19-15 to the visitors.

Jack Keating had just enough space, close to the right touchline, to snap up his third try in as many games for 'Belvo. Only for McKee to rumble over from a well-executed 'Nure maul on the hour mark.

Nonetheless, Quenton O'Neale's charges were able to snatch back the lead in the 63rd minute thanks to a Wilkinson penalty. With a 25-24 scoreline, a grandstand finish was in the offing.

Terenure were first to apply the pressure through a prolonged spell, but emerged scoreless. It was soon Meredith's moment to shine, the full-back tapping a penalty and brilliantly darting clear from just inside the hosts' 22 for a memorable solo score.

Belvedere still had to show tremendous defensive grit to see out a result that has them five points clear of second-from-bottom UCD in the table.

Hugh O'Sullivan bravely beat Ed Kelly to a dangerous cross-field kick from Cosgrave during the dying minutes, and a last-gasp scrum penalty finally settled the issue.

Elsewhere, St. Mary's fell to only their second defeat of the campaign as a much-improved Lansdowne won at Templeville Road for the second time in as many seasons.

Hugely frustrated by last week's loss at the hands of UCD, Lansdowne scored early in each half to win 14-0, with the outcome seeing Mary's lose their grip on top spot.

James Tarrant's charge-down effort gave them a fifth-minute lead, and prop Greg McGrath muscled over in the 42nd minute. Lansdowne's reinforced defence kept Mary's scoreless across the entire 80 minutes.

Young Munster have moved up to sixth in the standings - four points outside the top four - after a runaway 57-10 success against bottom side Nenagh Ormond.

Nenagh were only 8-5 behind at half-time. Both of their wingers, Conor O'Shaughnessy and Davey Gleeson, got on the scoresheet, but the Cookies, led by player-of-the-match Kelvin Langan, dominated the closing half.

They delighted the home support with tries from Kieran Ryan, Stephen McLoughlin, Oran O'Reilly, John Poland, Fionn Gibbons, Christian Foley, and Luke McCready, to add to Ajae Hanson's opening score.