AIL 1B – Old Wesley 32 Instonians 35
Old Wesley fell just short in a dramatic top-of-the-table clash in Donnybrook as Instonians edged a thrilling contest 35–32 in Division 1B.
Wesley began brightly and opened the scoring early through the boot of Tom Larke after sustained pressure in the Instonians half. The visitors responded quickly however, capitalising on a series of penalties deep inside the Wesley 22 before Ollie Clark was driven over from a powerful maul to give the Belfast side a 7–3 lead.
Wesley responded in impressive fashion. After building pressure through their forwards, Luke O’Connor crashed over from close range to restore the home side’s advantage. With confidence growing, Wesley began to play with tempo and width, and soon extended their lead when Ben Popplewell showed excellent hands to release Tom Larke out wide for a superb try. The momentum continued shortly afterwards when Steven Smyth finished off a sweeping move that began with Ethan Black keeping the ball alive brilliantly near the touchline. Larke’s conversion attempt drifted wide, but Wesley held a commanding 22–7 lead.
Instonians reminded everyone why they have been one of the most dangerous attacking sides in the division when Bevon Prinsloo finished a counter-attack to cut the score to 22–14. Wesley added a crucial penalty through Larke just before the interval to take a 25–14 lead into halftime.
The second half belonged largely to Instonians. A powerful maul early after the restart resulted in another try, trimming Wesley’s advantage from 25–14 to 25–21 and shifting momentum firmly towards the visitors. Sustained pressure then forced Wesley back into their own half, and another well-worked attacking move saw Instonians cross again to move from 25–21 to 28–25 ahead for the first time in the second period.
With the clock ticking down, Wesley were forced to chase the game. A late intercept try from Instonians stretched the score from 28–25 to 35–25 and left the home side with a mountain to climb in the closing minutes. To their credit, Wesley refused to give up. After a series of phases deep in the Instonians 22, Luke O’Connor forced his way over for his second try of the afternoon in the dying moments. However, time ran out before the conversion could be attempted, leaving Wesley just short at the final whistle.
Despite the defeat, Wesley secured two valuable bonus points that may yet prove significant in the tight race at the top of Division 1B. With three games remaining in the campaign, the league leaders remain in control of their own destiny.
Click here for photos by Ken Richardson
Scorers: Tries: Tom Larke, Luke O’Connor 2, Stephen Smyth; Cons: Tom Larke 3; Pens: Tom Larke 2
Team: Tom Larke; Paidi Farrell, Ethan Black, Eoin Deegan (capt), Charlie Hempenstall; Niall Carroll, Evan Kenny; Jamie Clark, Stephen Smyth, Ben Popplewell, Billy Corrigan, Mahon Ronan, Luke O’Connor, Charlie Meagher, Pat McBarron. Replacements: Kieran O’Shea, Kian Regan, Dan Campbell, Cathal Kelly, Andrew Doyle, Jarrod Homan.
