BUCCANEERS 32 BRUFF 10

Michael Silke reports 

Buccaneers found it third time lucky to get on the winning trail in home fixtures
when they defeated Bruff 32-10 in their Ulster Bank League Division 1B meeting under
the Dubarry Park, Athlone, floodlights on Friday. Their victory was richly merited but
two tries in the final minute that earned the Pirates a bonus point took from a very
game effort by the Limerick visitors.

Torrential rain just before and at regular intervals throughout the game made this a testing
contest. It may have hampered Buccs endeavours to move the ball quickly but doughty Bruff,
with a virtually new team since the sides met in the final game of last season, dug deep to
make this an absorbing contest. Jack Carty and Brian Carroll traded early penalties before
the midlanders, with Martin Cahill in charge of team affairs on the night, gradually assumed
ascendancy. Their growing territory saw Mike Carroll yellow carded on 32 minutes for not
releasing in the tackle and Carty duly converted the resultant penalty. The home outhalf then
won the chase to his own teasing kick ahead for the opening try two minutes before the break
with his conversion giving Buccs a 13-3 lead.

A quite magnificent flowing move, started and finished by Conor Finn, yielded a superb
58th minute home try which Carty converted. But Buccs did not add to their tally and Bruff
continued to battle, their efforts being rewarded with a 75th minute try by Mike Carroll which
was converted by his brother Brian to tighten the margin to 18-10. This set up a nervous finish
for the decent attendance who turned up despite the atrocious weather that turned quite cold
too.

But Buccs killed off any hopes of an upset when Bruff were slow in clearing their lines and
Finn intercepted close in to dive over for a decisive 79th minute try. From the restart, Alex
Hayman ran straight back at the now disheartened Bruff defence and David Heffernan was
up in support to grab Buccs fourth try. Carty converted both scores for a 17 points haul that
earned him the Man of the Match accolade.

BUCCANEERS:- C.Boland; S.Layden, C.Finn, A.Hayman, M.McCrea; J.Carty, M.Dolan;
M.Staunton, G.Halligan, J.Roets; M.Kearney, D.Qualter; D.Heffernan, E.Grace (captain)
and L.Satchwell. Replacements:- R.Byrne (for Kearney, 4-11 mins), D.Higgins (for
Staunton, 59 mins), R.Byrne (for Satchwell, inj. 64 mins), B.Henshaw (for Layden, inj.
74 mins), M.Staunton (for Roets, 74 mins) and B.Digby (for Dolan, 77 mins).

BRUFF:- B.Deady; M.Cosgrove, P.O’Brien, G.Bolger, R.Finn; B.Carroll, E.Maher;
D.Horan, C.O’Regan, M.Lynch; P.Lynch, M.O’Connell (captain); M.Carroll, D.Keogh and
M.McCarthy. Replacements:- B.Cahill (for O’Brien, inj. 39 mins), K.Laffan (for M.Lynch,
46 mins), P.Cleary (for O’Connell, 59 mins), J.Hogan (for O’Regan, 59 mins), G.Leonard
(for Bolger, 59 mins), M.O’Connell (for Keogh, 64 mins), G.Bolger (for Cahill, 67 mins),
D.Keogh (for O’Connell, 69 mins) and B.Cahill (for Bolger, 70 mins).

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