Try and try again but.... Skerries seven jocked off Benidorm flight

Watching Skerries play at the weekend was rather like watching one of those small screen "try of the season" competitions where a blizzard of scores is beamed at you in such quick succession that adjudication becomes virtually impossible. (The prize is generally something like an all-expenses paid trip - for two - to the McGee Cup Final in Ardee) Between the Leinster League tie on Saturday and the National Sevens Finals on Sunday, the old gold, cerise, and blue topped the quarter century of tries. At Holmpatrick, Bective, a division higher than the locals in the National hierarchy were made to look at least a division lower.

Then on Sunday, Our Lady's Boys Club were quickly disposed of, St. Mary's - one of the tournament favourites were sunk by some inspired and inspiring rugby, and Belfast Harlequins were clinically annihilated. A narrow loss to Young Munster allowed Skerries access to the semi-finals as the best second placed side of the three groups. Here Shannon, eventual winners, were put on the rack on a score of 17-5 and Skerries thoughts were beginning to turn to things Spanish. But two culpable turn-overs late in the game gave the Limerick men a place in the sun. Skerries were left with the same kind of ambivalence that Ireland had experienced in Amsterdam the previous night. - Justifiabley pride in performance being tempered by regret at what might have been. Still £400 is a sum that can be very agreeably dissipated. It might be a case of goodbye Benidorm - hello Ballybunnion.

But all this is getting away from the dilemma of selecting the outstanding try - should the award go to the silken classically upright running of Lawless or O' Sullivan P. ? Or of the in-your-face-stop-me-if You-can style of Keane or O' Sullivan D. ? (How by the way did DOS escape the vigilance of the sartorial inspector Mr. Denny when taking to the field without socks?? ) Should recognition be given to the low chassis sprinting newcomer Dunne or the ground devoting stride of Grey ? Or should the accolade go to Duff's use of hypnosis in the semi-final employing the ball in the same way as Paul Goldin employs a dangling watch, he persuaded the entire opposition seven that they were back in their childhood in Limerick playing a harmless game of ring-a-ring-rosy Duff then exited to the line unmolested.

Whatever the choice it is likely to be invidious. A personal nomination would be a try scored at a critical juncture of Saturday's game. Keane dynamites his way through a couple of defensive layers and accelerates to half, when finally enveloped by the cover he fires a precision pass to winger Quirke - the pursuit is hot and relentless on the nape of the winger's neck be he pins back his ears and maintains his run to the corner. The ideal collaboration of strength, skill, and pace. Keane's sojourn on the wing will have done him no harm at all and his shaven head gives him an extra helping of menace. For what charity did he have the job done and when does the barber appear in court??? So many questions marks ! The last one is : Who gets the money , the club or the team? The team provided an exhilarating afternoon for the strong Skerries support. If the money were to be diverted elsewhere it would constitute a flagrant miscarriage of justice.

Squad: P.O' Sullivan / P. Beggs / M. Quirke O. Dunne / C. Lawless / G. Duff M. Connolly / R. Connolly / D. Keane T. Grey / R. Kelleher / W. Mulcahy/ G.Early (Capt) D. O' Sullivan.