A miss kick by centre Will Hurley floated towards the touchline but dropped short into the arms of winger Lucas Stafford who took it at great pace, broke through two tackles and accelerated away. Athy had no answer to his speed and he touched down unopposed under the sticks on the eleven minute mark, making life easy for scrum half Cian Hadden to take the extra two. Athy rushed up after the restart and put Gorey under severe pressure. They panicked and were penalised thirty meters out. The Athy captain put his faith in his kicker Lir McDonald and he bounced it off the crossbar but it went over for the three points. Dale Rothwell and Barry Doyle combined fluidly and fought hard to retain possession and used their substantial leg power to drive over the rucks. Athy did get to the Gorey five meter line on more than one occasion but bad handling and not releasing the ball in the ruck put paid to their efforts. Hadden found the safety of touch to relieve the pressure. Twice more in quick succession Athy’s Lir McDonald was called upon for kicking duties. He got one and kept his team within a point.

There were no shrinking violets today. Savage tacking was dished out by both sides. Falconer was laid flat on his back counting stars after one such encounter followed closely by the big Athy No. 8 who met with a flying Willoughby and came off the worst for wear. Again Murphy kicked ahead sending Athy into reverse and they were lucky to ground the ball in their in-goal area as hooker Reece Hughes and winger Jamie Doyle advanced. No. 8, Mark Hoare took the ball from the back of the resulting five meter scrum and had the shotgun effect, devastating at close range. His try was converted again by Cian Hadden to close out the first half with the home side leading by fourteen points to six.

In the Athy huddle, managers John Tracey and Brian Tobin called for calm. There was plenty of time. Their counterparts in the Gorey circle, Brian Willoughby and James Tomkins, commended their men for their efforts so far and called for more of the same.

Forty seconds into the restart of the second half and blindside flanker Chris Bolger, as sharp as a razor and first to react to the breaking ball, was over in the corner. Hadden’s kick rattled both uprights but he failed to convert. Athy were shell shocked but unfortunately for them, there was more to come. The Gorey forwards ruthlessly pursued the ball. From the rear of the ruck the Gorey scrum half released his backs quickly. Athy desperately threw more and more men into the defence. This was hand to hand rugby. Rothwell, a fantastic second row forward, took a massive hit, went down and was quickly replaced by Niall Sinnott who made his debut for Gorey. Luckily he was a quick learner. The team repositioned themselves and stole a lineout ball only to lose it again moments later when a lapse of concentration caused a spill.

The last quarter of the game ebbed and flowed with both fullbacks fielding and kicking and probing. Athy launched a left flanking attack and their set piece maul worked well until outside centre Oscar Falconer ripped it off them. He was flung to the floor but the Athy No8 did not release. Hadden went for the tap n’go, slotted it back to Mark Hoare who took off and gained twenty yards, smashing and crashing his way through. The Athy defence was scattered. Job done. Before being swallowed up himself, he fed No. 13, Will Hurley who evaded capture, sold the dummy and made his mark, twenty minutes in. A fantastic try. Cian Hadden was called on one last time. He steadied himself and split the uprights to stretch the Gorey lead to twenty six points to six.

With ten minutes to go the Gorey management brought on fresh legs and they had an immediate impact. They upped the tempo considerably. Athy struggled on. They were not to score again. Gorey props were replaced. Barry Doyle and Jack Cushe had both put in sterling performances. Gorey were awarded a scrum from a dropped catch and they hunkered down to business on the Set. A forceful drive caused the Athy pack to buckle and fail but still they managed to retrieve the ball. It was lobbed high in over the Gorey encampment and once again brought out the best in fullback Jack Willoughby. The attackers used the momentum to continue their advance but Falconer stopped them in their tracks and dumped their runner unceremoniously onto the turf in the last action of the game. Match referee Axle O’Connell blew it up with victory to the home side by 26 points to 6.

Spectators from both sides agreed it was a very fine display from both squads.

The squad would like to thank their management and coaching staff of Brian Willoughby, James Tomkins and Jim Hoare. A mention, sometimes forgotten but always appreciated must go to the kitchen crew who provided refreshments to both squads. Also mentioned in dispatches are the team sponsors, Stafford’s Bakery of Clonattin, Gorey.

Click here to see more photos from our galleries

The squad consisted of;

1. Jack Cushe
2. Reece Hughes
3. Barry Doyle
4. David Bailey
5. Dale Rothwell
6. Chris Bolger (Try)
7. Conor Mangan
8. Mark Hoare, Capt (Try)
9. Cian Hadden (3 Conversions)
10. Ciaran Murphy
11. Jamie Doyle
12. Oscar Falconer
13. Will Hurley (Try)
14. Lucas Stafford (Try)
15. Jack Willoughby

Replacements;
Niall Synnott for Rothwell
Luke Willoughby for J Doyle
Michael Wafer for Bolger
Cathal Byrne for Bailey
Ben D’Arcy for Hughes
Conor Fitzpatrick for B Doyle
Patrick Synnott for J Willoughby
Cian Fortune for Stafford
Robbie Brooks for Hurley

Injured: James Hilliard