Bective keep up their momentum with fantastic win over unbeaten Suttonians
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Round 5 of the Leinster League Div1A saw high flying League leaders Suttonians travel southside to visit Donnybrook last Saturday for the first of 2 critical matches for Bective. Suttonians celebrating their centenary year were hoping for a big scalp on Saturday with good support which included a bunch of their members attending the pre match lunch also.
Bective starting at full strength and a really strong bench, were ready, come what may. The afternoon was mild with no wind, perfect conditions for rugby. Referee Rory O’Keeffe blew the whistle for Suttonians 15 Jack Gallagher to kick off towards the Bective end. Suttonians were not long in taking the game to Bective, but a couple of brilliant turnovers repelled the Sutton attacks lifting the initial siege.
Bective were themselves starting to enjoy a period of dominance with some great phases of play ably led by scrum half general Bobby Holland and were to take the lead after 13 minutes with a great try. After the first scrum of the game Sutton didn’t clear their lines and after a great lineout take from Gavin Kelly and then the maul with carries from Jamie Lawless, for big Ger Ward to crash over, with the conversion from Mikey O’Hare Bective were 7 – 0 in front.
Sutton responded with Capt. Jack Chase becoming more prominent as well as winger James Buckeridge looking dangerous. With a kickable penalty from 25 meters on offer , confident Sutton and No 10 Sean Cribben deciding to kick for the corner rather than take the points. With their slick lineout and good ball the visitors drove at the Bective line but after 5 phases of play and 2 further penalties under the posts and again taking a tap and go rather than the 3 points it was left to a great Bective defence to keep Suttonians out, which was to be a feature of the Bective performance throughout the match.
Into the 2nd quarter and the score still 7 – 0 Bective suffered their first injury of the game with centre Ben Garret retiring with an arm injury replaced by Matthew Gilsenan. Coach Ben Manion also deciding to use the bench with James Gallagher and Rory Mulvihill joining the fray. More good play from Suttonions yielded a harsh penalty against Bective and from the 10 meter line Jack Gallagher deciding to take the points now , 7-3 to Bective. Bective were to suffer a further injury to prop Conor Kelly replace by Luke Mion.
Further good play yielded a penalty near the Sutton 10 meter line for Mikey O’Hare to slot the points with a great strike. 10- 3 to Bective.
This was to start another good phase for Bective with some great play by the Bective players, typical of the play was an up and under by Bobby Holland, spectacularly fielded by out half Ollie Foote , setting up another attack and keeping our opponents on the back pinned in their own half. After some fine play by the Bective backs and further carries by the pack it was a miracle that the Suttonians line survived. Nonetheless the pressure told with an infringement at the ruck for Mikey O’Hare to keep the scoreboard ticking over with his 2nd penalty, to leave the half time score, 13- 3 to Bective.
Half Time - Bective Rangers FC 13 (1) Suttonians 3.
Good start to the 2nd half by Bective , after a great lineout take by Mattie Keane and further carries from James Gallagher and Jamie Lawless setting up a blindside break by Tim Carroll only to be hauled down by a high tackle , handing another penalty on the 22 for Mikey O’Hare to take the points and stretch Bective’s lead to 16 -3.
Suttonians were now starting to find some space as they worked their socks off to find an opening , with out half Gribben and full back Gallagher to the fore. The play was stopped inside the Bective half after a bad looking injury to Bective’s Mattie Keane, retiring to be replaced by Donagh Lawler. When play resumed Bective’s guard for once dropped and Suttonians immediately moved the ball wide for winger Bucheridge to touch down out wide and with Gallagher kicking an excellent conversion it was now 16 – 10 to Bective with just a score now separating the sides. How would Bective respond to this setback , play was brought into the opponents half and Bective were awarded a scrum on the 10 meter line . With opportunities right and left Bobby Holland broke right and passed to Tim Carroll running a great line but some great tackling and a dropped pass denied Bective a certain score. Further pressure by Bective keeping the play in the Suttonians half but scores were hard to come by with some excellent defence by our opponents. Bective were also having to defend from time to time as Suttonians showed their quality on the break. It was from a great intercept by Matthew Gilsenon that broke up a Suttonians attack and brought play into their half and after an infringement up stepped Mikey O’Hare to strike a super long range penalty to make it 19 – 10 to Bective.
With Bective lifting their game, Suttonians were down to 14 with a yellow card for Jose Maria de Matos for a dangerous tackle. Bective decided to kick to the corner and with a great lineout move between Gavin Kelly and Scottie Barron it looked like a certain score but an incredible tackle by his opposite number Simon Feeney denied Scottie . Still Bective might have the try but again Scottie Barron was held up over the line. So it was all Bective now into the last quarter. A move off a scrum by James Gallagher , then further carries into the Suttonians 22 by Jamie Lawless and a great carry from Rory Mulvihill led to a ruck and from 5 meters out there was no stopping Ternan McCloskey to dive over and put Bective firmly in control of the game with Mikey O’Hare popping over the conversion it was now Bective 26 – 10.
With 10 mins on the clock it was more of the same from Bective attacking with Matthew Gilsenen pinning Suttonians back with a couple of kicks into their corner , or all the Bective tacklers frustrating the Suttonians attack with a great defensive performance . On the stroke of fulltime after another Suttonians infringement on the 10 meter line up stepped Mikey O’Hare again, to land a brilliant penalty to close out the game and bring his personal tally of ‘7 from 7 kicks’ to 19 points.
This was a fantastic team performance and the players, and all the coaching team can be proud of this display.
Bective travel to Seapoint next Saturday for what promises to be another epic performance, don’t miss it .
Full Time – Bective Rangers FC 29 (2) Suttonians RFC 10 (1)
Bective Rangers 1XV: 15 Tim Carroll, 14 Mikey O’Hare, 13 Craig Cantwell, 12 Ben Garrett, 11 Shane O’Meara, 10 Oliver Foote, 9 Bobby Holland, 1 Luke Mion,2 Scott Barron, 3 Conor Kelly, 4 Gavin Kelly, 5 Ger Warde, 6 Tiarnan McCloskey ,7 Matthew Keane, 8 Jamie Lawless.
Finishers: 16 Rory Mulvihill, 17 Donagh Lawler,, 18 James Gallagher, 19 Conor Murphy, 20 Matthew Gilsenan .
Scorers: Bective: Tries: Ger Ward, Ternan McCloskey; Cons: Mikey O’Hare -2 . Pen: Mikey O’Hare -5.
Referee: Rory O’Keeffe Ratoath RFC.
