Creggs secure hat-trick of J1A League titles
Creggs players Shane and Ronan Dowd celebrate with their father Ger after they retained the Connacht J1A League in Clifden on Sunday. Picture: Steve Fahey
Creggs secured a hat-trick of Connacht J1A League titles by getting the better of Connemara All Blacks at Clifden on Sunday afternoon.
The reigning league holders tore into their opponents from the start and deservedly went ahead in the fifth minute when Shane Purcell slotted a 35-metre penalty.
A few minutes later, a clever chip by scrum-half Mark Dowd created havoc in the Connemara defence, resulting in a five-metre scrum from which Shane Dowd glided over for a fine try. Shane Purcell landed a superb conversion from the touchline to give the visitors a 10-0 lead.
Connemara responded with an Ian Staunton penalty after Creggs were penalised for a high tackle just outside the ‘22.
Connemara were level by the 20th minute when a series of attacks resulted in a well-taken try by their left winger Marty Connelly, which Ian Staunton converted.
Creggs edged in front once more when Shane Purcell confidently slotted a 45-metre penalty in the 26th minute. He repeated this feat with a similar strike in the 34th minute to give his team a 16-10 half-time lead.
Connemara lost a front-row forward to a yellow card shortly after the restart, leading to a period of sustained pressure as Creggs camped inside the ‘22.
Eventually, the pressure paid off when winger Darren Gately sprinted clear for a fine try, as the home defence was stretched to breaking point, in the 50th minute for a 22-10 lead.
From the restart, Connemara threw everything into attack in search of a try but the Creggs defensive work was top class.
Shane Dowd finally put the issue beyond doubt when he scored a try in the 72nd minute after excellent work by Mark Purcell. Shane Purcell converted from under the posts to give Creggs an unassailable 28-10 lead.
This was a brilliant display team by Creggs, with every member of the squad contributing to a rare victory in Clifden. Captain James Brandon was presented with the Junior League trophy by Connacht Vice-President, Tom Horkan, amid scenes of jubilation from the large number of travelling Creggs supporters.
Creggs now advance to the play-offs for the All-Ireland League with the semi-final scheduled for Saturday, April 5th.
They also have a Junior Cup final against Dunmore in Ballina on March 30th to look forward to.
Creggs: Shane Dowd, Darren Gately, Mark Purcell, Eoghan Coyle, Ronan Dowd, Shane Purcell, Mark Dowd, Tom Farrell, Nato Kiripati, Eoghan Farrell, Ciarán Purcell, Lee Kilcoyne, James Brandon, Brian Diffley, Danny Arnold, Mattie Curley, Tom O'Brien, Ronan Cahill, Michael Feeley, Peter Lohan, Cormac Dolan, Chris Duignan.
