Skerries win recalls old glories

Skerries 16
Trinity 11

Memory rarely serves one right these days and talking of the past is an increasingly unreliable business. But shortly after 4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon veteran Skerriwatchers were unanimous in recalling that, way back in the Leinster Senior Cup was achieved against Dublin University. If Saturday's triumph didn't quite generate the euphoria of that historic occasion it at least confirmed that Skerries capitulation to the students a fortnight ago in the All-Ireland League was in the nature of an aberration - Skerries superiority was more pronounced than the 5 point margin would suggest.

Skerries introductory attacks were models of purpose and pace and only a referee dealing in millimetres would have whistled up a scoring pass from KEANE to QUIRKE. KEANE was soon prominent again, going into overdrive after his initial sprint had faltered on the glutinous surface. Just when it looked as if he might reach the Promised Land himself he throttled back, but this time his liaison with the winger was aborted by an over-buoyant delivery. Trinity worked hard to lift the siege and a potentially liberating touchline excursion by out-half MITCHELL was foiled by an opportune hand-trip from.yes you've guessed it, the ubiquitous KEANE. It boded well for Skerries that KEANE and fellow flanker O' SULLIVAN were emerging from their relative anonymity of recent matches and were performing the type of prodigies in open play that their pace entitles them to. The disintegrating tackles and all-round industry of No.8 KELLEHER were the perfect accompaniments to the flankers fare.

For all their territorial dominance however Skerries were finding it difficult to penetrate a resolute student rearguard. Sluggish and sometimes wayward passing by the inside backs was giving the new centre, the swashbuckling North County cricketer O' CONNOR, little chance to display his wares and LAWLESS was having to continue with his starvation diet. A penalty kicked by out-half BRADY after 25 minutes and neutralised by a similar effort from MITCHELL left the score in a state of equilibrium at the break.

The regular presence of Senator GLENNON behind the dead-ball line at the sea end is beginning to revitalise an area of the ground that has long lain derelict and unfrequented - such is his facility for attracting the passing electorate. From his temporary hustings the fledgling statesman prompts much anecdote and badinage. Problem is that, wherever Skerrigoats gather, exchanges invariably become ensnared in that particular type of sterile debate where the passion of the orators is out of all proportion to the triviality of the subject. Thus, after half time on Saturday, the claim was made that the wind, which had been blowing towards the sea, had dropped substantially. Citing as scientific proof the fact that the Old Mill in the distance was completing fewer revolutions per minute than it had done the first half. The idea seemed plausible enough and there was pause for reflection. But the counter-claim wasn't long delayed The windmill, it was advanced, was machine-run and revolved at the all times at the same speed, voices rose. blood-pressure rose. it seemed so much simpler to consult the touchline flags which inferred that yes, the wind had indeed abated in Skerries favour.

The second-half frustration so overly displayed by the home side a fortnight previously was nowhere in evidence o Saturday. Instead, the team rehoned its focus and buckled down to its policy of playing rugby, which was later to prove so spectacularly rewarding. BRADY'S second penalty was the cue for Trinity to mount some sustained pressure. The No.8 St. George was doing his best to slay the Skerries dragon and the exotic three-quarters were being called into more frequent action, eliciting some low-decibel racial abuse from the intransigent home support. Trinity were soon to take the lead but their try was fraught with controversy. A static maul under Skerries posts, DUFF, ball-in hand, looking around for a suitable recipient - yet referee blows his whistle and awards the put-in to DUFF. The scrum-half was engulfed in the ensuring scrum and the turn-over fed to front-row BROPHY whose nose-dive seemed to terminate on the threshold of the line. But the award was made.

When MITCHELL kicked a 35-yard penalty Skerries were five points adrift. But the manner of their play gave grounds for optimism. The rolling mauls were consistently finding the soft centre in the visiting confectionery; the handling and alignment of the backs were come progressively closer to the textbook. Two sublime passes from the captain EARLY were to provide the tries that Skerries craved. The first one, a skip, put QUIRKE in possession on the Trinity 10-yd line and, pursued down the touchline by Mr. Denny, the cox without the megaphone, the TGV made it to the ingoal area in style. Trinity now threw their last dice, introducing a No.20 with clear homicidal tendencies. His frantic search for victims so unhinged the referee that he reached for the yellow card. With extra-time looming DUFF passed his immediate adversaries, when the ball was slapped from his grasp he recovered it and fed EARLY. The centre emerged like a stag from a clearing and his precision pass gave LAWLESS the exhilaration of a clear run to the corner. Vive le rugby!

TEAM: SCANLON J; LAWLESS C; O' CONNOR S; EARLY G; QUIRKE M; BRADY J; DUFF G; GARRY D; MULCAHY W; SARSFIELD P; HIGGINS B; GREY T; KEANE D; KELLEHER R; O' SULLIVAN D