Colaiste Chill Mhantain Senior Development Cup Champions

December 20, 2016 3:52 pm Elma Beirne

The feeling out process involved St Ciaran’s taking the ball up through one-out runners to make a dent in the Wicklow defense.

This onslaught demanded certainty in the tackle from CCM and it seemed to give them confidence.

So much so that when they broke out, scrum-half Luke Corcoran caught Kells napping down the short side for a fine try in the right corner in the 11th minute.

The same pattern ensued until out-half Cal Connolly launched a long ball forward that his chasers turned into a penalty.

Quick-thinking Corcoran exploited another gap close to a ruck for his second try, converted by Connolly from the shadow of the posts in the 14th minute.

A follow up tackle by centre Luke Boyce was the key to applying further pressure, full-back Cormac Murray fielding Michael McNamee’s kick.

Wicklow number eight Cillian Ballesty made ground and drew in the last defender for Connolly to show his pace from 50-metres out and convert to make it 19-0 in the 18th minute.

Three tries in eight minutes was a real hammer blow. St Ciaran’s needed something to energise them.

They found it when their forwards did the hard work up front for flanker Barry Ormiston to crash to the line in the 26th minute.

This is when CCM’s hooker Mark Nicholson, prop Patrick Nixon and Ballesty went about creating the go-forward for their backs.

A typically committed burst from captain Nicholson led to another penalty which Connolly put between the posts for 22-5 at the break.

There was ruthless intent to CCM’s restart. They kept coming in waves.

The Kells boys were forced onto the backfoot and were hindered by losing tight-head Szymon Czechowski to injury.

Eventually, Connolly’s upper body strength allowed him to resist a tackle and offload for Nicholson to punch in the fourth try, converted by Connolly in the 44th minute.

St Ciaran’s fly-half Joseph Carry tried to get his side moving through a nice kicking game and instinctive passing.

Thy were reduced to looking for the miracle ball when their strengths resided in their close-in driving by captain Conor Moran, Adam Deighan and Ormiston.

It was left to Corcoran to complete his hat-trick with an outstretched hand on the hour.

This was complemented by Connolly’s straight burst for the whitewash in the 63rd minute.

St Ciaran’s kept battling right to the end when wing Adam Muldoon was rewarded with their second try.

At Donnybrook – COLAISTE CHILL MHANTAIN 41 (L Corcoran 3 tries; C Connolly 2 tries, pen, 4 cons; M Nicholson try); ST CIARAN’S CS, KELLS 10 (B Ormiston, A Muldoon try each).

COLAISTE CHILL MHANTAIN

15. Cormac Murray / John Moorehouse 62 mins

14. Ronan Pedreschi / Sam Hodgkinson 62 mins.

13. Diarmuid Jameson-Whoriskey

12. Luke Boyce

11. Conor Curran / Cian Staunton 62 mins

10. Cal Connolly

9. Luke Corcoran

1. Cian O’Sullivan / Ben O’Connor 60 mins

2. Mark Nicholson (capt) / Ben Griffin 62 mins

3. Patrick Nixon / Jack Reburn 62 mins

4. Dylan Pippett / Patrick Reynolds 44 mins