Kanturk 22 Sunday’s Well 14
After two big comeback victories, the ‘Well left themselves too much to do late on against a fired up Kanturk side; coached by former ‘Well captain Michael Murphy; whose win should help them secure their place in Division 1 for next season. It was a tough game in difficult wet and boggy conditions; and the period either side of half-time proved pivotal, with the ‘Well seeing too many players yellow carded as Kanturk ran in a series of tries.
The ‘Well did get off to a blistering start. A great move saw Jamie O’Leary crash over with Logan Henry adding the two points. The ‘Well continued to apply pressure – pinning Kanturk deep inside their Twenty-Two but a robust defensive effort by the Duhallow side kept their city visitors at bay.
It was the two O’Sullivans, Bryan and Brian who had that bit of killer edge for the hosts; ending up with a pair of tries each. Having absorbed pressure; when they did get a break they managed to get their first try. The ‘Well responded with Logan Henry continuing to lead the way in the Divisions points scoring charts; as he converted his own try.
However; the end of the half proved a crucial turning point. Kanturk mounted a serious amount of pressure and got their rewards; not necessarily in scores but the ‘Well seeing multiple yellow cards. Kanturk reduced the gap to 14-12 before the break and with a two-man advantage to start the second-half; they stretched out to a 22-14 lead.
With the pitch and conditions getting heavier as the game progressed; Kanturk were able to hold out the ‘Well’s offensive efforts and secure the full points.
While a disappointing result; the ‘Well can regroup for a massive game in Newcastle West; before facing two other teams with whom they are battling it out for a top four finish; in Thurles and Clonakilty. The Newcastle West will also double up as a Junior Challenge Cup semi-final; so is massive on many fronts and the squad and coaches will be eager for a big response in this crucial game against the in-form County Limerick side.
Scorers: Kanturk: Bryan O’Sullivan, Brian O’Sullivan 2 tries each; Stephen McAuliffe con.
Sunday’s Well: Jamie O’Leary try;Logan Henry try; 2 cons.
Kanturk: Sean O’Brien; Bryan O’Sullivan, Ronan O’Brien, Thomas Vaughan, Brian O’Sullivan, Stephen McAuliffe, Jamie Harrington; Robert Forrest, Tadgh McSweeney, Matt Daly; Cillian O’Sullivan, David O’Sullivan, Dylan O’Connor, Dylan Moynihan, Bernard Daly. Replacements: Kieran O’Sullivan, Barry Sherlock, Con O’Brien, Jack O’Riordan, Dan McCabe, James Moylan, David Fitzpatrick.
Sunday’s Well: Logan Henry; Alex Lane, Jamie O’Leary, Ryan O’Donoghue-Kelleher, Gary Downey; Harry McHenry, Daniel Courtney; Evan O’Connell (c), Tadgh McCarthy, Michael McCarthy; Kevin Holland, John Costello; Aaron Walker, Damian Kozik, Shane O’Neill. Replacements: Eoin Ahearne, Ian Murphy, Andrew Mintern, Finn MacFhlannchadha, Eric Kingston, Ian Casey, Cathal Quinn.
