Skerries vs Richmond, AIL Division 3, Holmpatrick, December 15, 2001

Skerries 16 (O'Sullivan try, Brady 3 pens con)
Richmond 16 (Quinn try, Benson 3 pens con)

Kids are fortunate these days. Whenever they decide to have an impromtu kick around on a green area there's never any problem about finding a ball. Increased opulence means that nearly everybody has one. Not so in the old days. Then, the proud owner of the ball exerted an influence that went way beyond his often paltry skills. He was the one with exercice of veto and the continuation of the match was entirely dependent on keeping him happy. If things weren't going according to his private plans, or if due deference wasn't being paid to his status as a property holder, you could expect the metaphorical long whistle. With a frightening display of power, he would confiscate the ball and begin the solemn walk home.

The shape of the match at Rockalyoke on Saturday put one in mind of these bygone days. The ball was freely available in that opening half as Richmond, with a substantial breeze to aid them, built up their comfortable 16-3 lead with three penalties their éminence grise, vetern out-half BENSON, and then, on the threshold of the break, a converted try by QUINN. Within ten minutes of the re-start BRADY had kicked a second penalty for Skerries and converted a fluent try, finished by O'SULLIVAN P. The pace of the Goats at this point augured well for the outcome.

A fragile 3 point lead and a full half hour to endure in the face of a sharpening wind - no question about it. Richmond saw this as the appropriate moment to confiscate the ball. While they didn't actually walk off with it they might well have done so. For more than 20 minutes the oval was interred in tortoise-like mauls, emerging only for the single pass which prefaced the next maul. How, you might ask, could an amateur rugby team maintain such a herculean labour for so long, without respite? Well, there also, the planning was clockwork. One cue, and off the ball, vulgarly healthy men collapsed as if bitten by a snake or stricken with an attack of st. Vitus' Dance. Now, snakes are not commonplace in Skerries (the reptilian variety at any rate) nor is St. Vitus' Dance one of the major maladies in Limerickmen, but the referee didn't seem to notice the anomaly. And did they not make the occasional handling error. You will wonder? Yes, they did, but at the consequent scrum the Skerries push invariably veered to the lateral, Richmond regained possession and the circus started all over again.

Skerries currently lack the degree of authority that is needed to reverse these situations. There was less than five minutes left on the clock when they finally lifted the visiting embargo and the impeccable BRADY kicked the equalising points. The coaching caucus was left wondering whether their glass was half-empty or half-full. As always, only time will provide the answer to that hoary dilemma.

Saturday was a testing time for supporters also. Not all passed with flying colours. A goodly number jilted the goat and opted for the euphoria of Lansdowne Road. Some, from the elevated comfort of the bar, donated one eye to the small screen and the other to Rockalyoke, thereby insulting both games. A few, however, steadfastly braved the cold and if they weren't quite in sufficient number to drown out the sound of the vile philistine wielding his chain-saw on the Shenick side they did, at least, show where their affections lie. Amongst them was a man who captained the club more that a half-century ago and for whom the journey to Dublin 4 would have been the easy option. The coming months will provide a worthy challenge to the Goats and tradition suggests that they will not be found wanting. But they need more followers of the calibre of Des Cashell.