Balbriggan ladies team went top of Leinster League Division 2 with a sensational win over previous leaders Wicklow in front of a raucous home crowd last Sunday.
Balbriggan got off to a great start when Shannon Campbell gathered the opening kick off from Emily Kitson and made great inroads into the visitors half. The relentless attacking eventually sucked in the Wicklow defence and Emily and Shannon linked up again with a cross field kick which resulted in the supporting Laura McDonald scoring under the posts. Shannon’s conversion made it 7-0.
Wicklow struggled to get back into the game and found it hard to get out of their half but some strong carries from their No. 8 gave them some go forward ball. However,.thanks to the strong defensive line put up by Balbriggan.it wasn’t long before they were back on the attack. Strong carries from the pack, especially Tilly Meade and player of the match Abigail Dungan kept Wicklow on the back foot and eventually they conceded a penalty in their own 22. Emily saw the opportunity to take a quick tap to herself and forced her way over to extend the lead to 12.
This led to a sustained period of pressure from the visitors who nearly scored out wide before some excellent scramble defense saw their winger bundled into touch 5m out. From the resulting lineout Balbriggan weren’t able to clear their lines and a loose pass cannoned off the crossbar into the grateful arms of the Wicklow centre who crashed over for a converted score.This left the halftime score Balbriggan 12 Wicklow 7.
Balbriggan came out strong in the second half ,with the scrum in particular dominating, and set up camp in the Wicklow 22. Despite incessant pressure Balbriggan were just not able to breach a resolute Wicklow defence. Wicklow were forced into conceding a number of penalties and the referee eventually flashed a yellow card for not rolling away at a ruck.
Despite the extra player the home team still couldn’t make the breakthrough but went mighty close with prop Caoimhe Colman being held up over the line on two separate occasions. Just as the nerves were beginning to creep in, Emily Kitson once again saw an opportunity from a penalty to tap and go and dive over the line beside the points to a huge roar of relief. Shannon again added the extras which gave the ladies some breathing space.
As is often the case, once one score came a second wasn’t far behind. From a goal line drop out by Wicklow, Balbriggan struck again when excellent handling by the backs saw Shannon Campbell score the bonus point try in the corner that was just reward for an excellent performance.
Wicklow did rally to press hard for the final few minutes but resolute defence with some big hits from Abigail kept them out. Final Score Balbriggan 24 Wicklow 7.
This was the fifth win on the bounce for Balbriggan and saw them leapfrog Wicklow into top spot. A great performance in front of a passionate home support which the players fed off. Next up is a trip to UCD this Sunday before a well earned Christmas break.
