AIL Match Report: Tarf 16 UL Bohs 12
by Mark Byrnes
Clontarf overcame a battling UL Bohs side at Annacotty to maintain their position at the summit of Division 1b.
The match was played in rain, wind, sunshine and even hailstones as both sides gave their all in an absorbing battle. Clontarf lost Noel Reid to injury after only three minutes and he was replaced by Martin Dufficy.
Clontarf began the stronger and a great break from Barry O’Mahony into the opposition 22 and an offload to Michael Keating saw the Leinster starlet touch down in the corner.
Dufficy landed a superb conversion from the touchline to give Tarf a 7-0 lead.
Bohs responded on eleven minutes with a penalty from out-half JJ Hanrahan and another fine strike on 18 minutes narrowed the gap further.
O’Mahony made another searing run into opposition territory but unfortunately Clontarf could not take the opportunity of a five pointer but Martin Dufficy struck a penalty on 28minutes to leave it 10-6.
A few minutes before the interval Clontarf were penalised three times giving Hanrahan opportunities to narrow the gap. The UL bohs out-half failed with two attempts and the away side took a slender 1 point lead into the half-time break.
Clontarf began the second half brighter and Dufficy kicked a penalty straight after the restart to extend the lead to four points as conditions deteriorated.
A further penalty on 55 minutes from Dufficy made it 16-9, but Hanrahan again narrowed the gap to set up a tense last quarter.
Clontarf’s held firm as UL Bohs came at them in waves, and even though losing Simon Crawford harshly to the sin bin, the defense remained solid. A key turning point was a turnover close to the Tarf line when pressure on the UL Bohs scrum resulted in a much needed reprieve.
The final whistle after an eternity of injury time was greeted with a massive sigh of relief as another four points were secured for the league table.