CYM’s Women’s team brought the curtain down on only their second season playing rugby by capturing the Paul Cusack Cup and thus securing the Leinster Division 4 League and Cup Double…
Having booked their place in the cup final with a very convincing win over Blackrock RFC, CYM of Terenure took on local rivals St Mary’s of Templeogue in the final played in NUIM Barnhall last Saturday.
The game was a tight affair from the off, but it was CYM who were first to put points on the board when hooker Ciara Flanagan crossed the whitewash to touch down inside the opening 10 minutes.
It was another 20 minutes before full back Brenda Healy added to CYM’s tally, before St Mary’s hit back with a penalty to leave the score at 10-3 at the interval.
A determined CYM then took the game to St. Mary’s in the second half. Again it was the full back who scored, following a great team break down the left flank.
The victory was sealed when Woman of the Match, prop Rachel Horan, ran from inside her own 10 metre line to score a well deserved try in the what would prove to be the last piece of action of the game.
The final score of 20-3 did not reflect the performance and pressure that St Mary’s exerted on their opposition.
Captain Diane McIlhagga received the cup to rapturous applause from the large CYM support and wild celebrations from the team.
“It is fantastic for the team to win the double. We all put in a huge effort this season to work towards this and it is great to achieve it. It was truly a team effort,” said the captain.
“We owe a lot to our coaches Felix Byrne and John Conway for believing in us every step of the way,” McIlhagga added.
In February the team won the Leinster Division 4 League title, beating Old Belvedere in the final and have now completed the season unbeaten.
“We are tremendously proud of the team and their success. They work hard for each other and have a lot of fun along the way,” said CYM President, Dave Cruddas.
The team will now take a well deserved break for a few weeks before they head to Kinsale for the annual 7s tournament.
Pre-season 2014/15 will begin in earnest in mid-July and who knows what they will have their sights set on at that stage!
CYM Men lose to Blackrock
Meanwhile, the CYM Men’s season came to a close on Sunday when they lost their Moran Cup 2nd round tie against Blackrock 13-10. Despite their opposition being a division above them, it was CYM who out-played their opponents throughout.
CYM will rue the two missed penalties in the opening half as well as a try which was ruled as a knock on. They also missed an open try when winger Neal Flynn was taken down just a couple of metres short of the line following a kick-through and chase.
“We have had a good season this year, finishing mid table in Metro Division 5. But we are keen to build on this success next season,” said head coach and former Irish International Eric Miller.
“We are always on the look-out for new players, so we would welcome any new guys to come and join us during the summer,” he added.
