Issue 1247 - The Courier

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38.sportintramural Tuesday 6 March 2012 Th eCourier Titanic unbeaten run finally ends Armstrong and Agrics reach cup INTRA MURAL RUGBY CUP SEMI-FINAL Armstrong Titans By Colin Henrys at COCHRANE PARK 37 17 One of Intra Mural’s longest unbeaten runs finally came to an end on Wednesday as Armstrong defeated Titans 37-17 in the cup semi-final at Cochrane Park. Titans, who won the double last year and the cup the season before that, had previously not lost a match since November 2009 but Armstrong completely dominated to set up a cup final with Agrics 1 on Wednesday. Braces of tries from giant number eight Craig Millar and Jack Greer and one for the impressive Charlie Rose continued Armstrong’s impressive season and leaves them well set to complete a league and cup double this year. Already forced into a reshuffle by some late arrivals, the match could not have started much worse for Titans when a dislocated knee forced them into a reshuffle in their front row just two minutes in. As was expected prior to kick off, both sides put in some huge tackles in the opening stages but this led to several infringements being called up by the referee. Former Uni first teamer Casimir Gross took advantage of one such penalty call to kick Armstrong into the lead, but Titans hit back almost immediately after winning a penalty of their own. Opting to kick to touch, Chris Thompson’s line-out was claimed by his team and a rolling maul enabled the hooker to reclaim the ball and touch down over the try line. This proved to be the only time in the match that Titans led however, as after missing the conversion and then a penalty attempt shortly afterwards they found themselves behind again when Alex Spooner broke the line and laid off to Rose to score under the Powerful Number Eight Craig Millar was instrumental in Armstrong’s victory. Photography: Hubert Lam posts. Gross added the extras, Armstrong regained the lead and never fell behind again. After another Titans penalty was missed, Armstrong extended their lead to 17-5 thanks to a Millar try and they could have gone further in front when Titans inexplicably conceded a scrum in their own 22 for a forward pass, which came about purely as a result of trying to avoid a massive Armstrong hit. The Titans defence held firm on that occasion, and a Henry Cunningham try on the stroke of half-time brought them right back into the match but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished after the restart. Gross kicked another penalty after an infringement in the ruck by Titans and then the game became scrappy. A series of cynical and deliberate offsides by Armstrong to prevent some quick counter-attacks had the Titans fans baying for a yellow card, which in truth probably should have been given, but the referee instead opted to speak to the captains to calm things down. When things did calm down, Titans looked to get back in the game but a good run by their stand-off, which only needed a better pass at the end, was the closest they came to adding any points and when Millar scored another try, which Gross converted, the game was beyond reach. Titans were then reduced to 14 men after a ridiculous high tackle and Armstrong piled further misery on their depleted opponents as a brace of tries from Jack Greer, either side of Dave Fagan’s consolation effort, saw Armstrong to a 37-17 win. Despite dominating the competition so far this year, there were still questions as to whether Armstrong could overcome title favourites Titans. They have comfortably proved their critics wrong and it is difficult to see beyond them securing the double in the next two weeks. For Titans, every unbeaten run has to finish at some point, and perhaps it is fitting that it happened on 29 February. If they are to earn any silverware from their season however, they must improve drastically before they face Armstrong in the league decider later this month. INTRA MURAL RUGBY CUP SEMI-FINAL Agrics 1 Cheeky Ladies 29 19 By Patrick Reade at HEATON It was a tale of two halves in the eagerly anticipated semi-final between Agrics 1 and Cheeky Ladies at the Heaton Medicals Rugby Ground, which saw the Agrics force their way into the final of the Intra Mural Cup. The Agrics, enjoying a rich vein of form of late, controlled the early stages of the game, with good ball retention and fast running rugby. Hard forward work was rewarded with a try in the first few minutes of the game, as a scrum deep inside enemy territory resulted in scrum half Will Scott finishing off a well worked blindside move, giving the Agrics a vital five point lead. However, any ideas of an Agric annihilation were removed just minutes later, as a huge scrum by the Cheeky Ladies resulted in an outstanding forty meter try by their captain Danny Price, who managed to beat three defenders on his rampant charge to the line, touching down in the corner. The resulting conversion drifted wide, leaving the score tied at five apiece. The try proved to be the turning point of the half, as the Ladies’ newly found desire was rewarded in the 18th minute when their relentless battering of the Agrics’ try line resulted in a quickly taken penalty being finished superbly in the corner by Hugh Risk. The conversion was added by fly half Stuart Robinson, taking the score to 12-5. Any Agrics’ pressure was soaked up well by the Cheeky Ladies, with excellent counter rucking and the use of a generous wind ensuring that the majority of the play was battled out in the Agrics half. On 25 minutes, brilliant handling from the Cheekys saw the ball flash across the pitch, only to be stopped meters short from the Agric line. As the retained ball came out to Robinson, a cry of forward runners sucked in the Agric defence, allowing him to give a classy ‘show and go’, strolling in under the posts untouched. The conversion nudged the score along to 19-5 with the Cheeky Ladies firmly in the driving seat. A changing point in the game came on the stroke of half time, as a penalty rewarded to the Cheeky Ladies needed only to be sent into touch for the half time whistle to be blown. However, having missed touch, the Agrics searched for a much needed try before the break. Several phases later, an outstanding team move resulted in an overlap, brilliantly exploited by the Agrics winger, who bundled his way across the line, clattering the corner flag as a scrambling Cheeky defence did all they could to send him into touch. The referee, unfortunately unable to refer to the video referee, (a facility not yet available in Intra Mural rugby), awarded the try, following the advice of the touch judge, hiding the green jersey from beneath his training top as he did so. The Cheekys were outraged but the decision had been made, leaving the match poised at 19- 10 at the break. The second half saw the roles reversed, as the Agrics dominated with good attacking rugby and solid defence. A five meter scrum was finished in the opposite corner, following excellent handling from the back line, as Andy Whiteford managed to power his way over, clawing his team to within two points of the Cheeky Ladies. It was Whiteford who struck again just minutes later, finishing off another flowing backs move in the corner, with the ex-Scotland school boy showing every inch of class in his performance, with such clinical finishing being the ultimate difference between the two sides. Next it was Agrics’ fly half Jack Cook’s turn to exploit the generous
Th eCourier Tuesday 6 March 2012 intramuralsport.39 while final Armstrong left Titans chasing heels as they secured a place in the Intra Mural Cup Final. Photography: Hubert Lam League Tables Wednesday 11-a-side Football Division 1 Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1 Barca Law Na 11 8 1 2 46 15 25 2 Henderson Hall 12 7 1 4 41 29 22 3 Newcastle Medics 1sts 9 6 2 1 29 13 20 4 Dyslexic Untied 10 4 1 5 25 25 13 5 Crayola 10 4 0 6 14 18 12 6 Aftermath 10 2 0 8 11 43 6 7 Castle Leazes 8 1 1 6 10 32 4 Top Goalscorers 14: Jamie Hurworth (Barca) 11: Dave Edwards (Medics) Barca Law Na Dyslexic Untied Henderson Hall Newcastle Medics 1s Rugby Union Division 1 4 2 2 5 10: Daniel Rech (Crayola) 9: Dave Eccles (Aftermath) 9: Liam McAllister (Hendo) Castle Leazes Aftermath Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1 Armstrong 7 6 0 1 290 40 31 2 Titans 7 7 0 0 219 43 30 3 Agrics 1 8 5 1 2 161 104 25 4 Southern Fairies 8 4 0 4 185 117 22 5 Larrikins 8 4 0 4 118 134 18 6 Cheeky Ladies 8 3 1 4 133 179 18 7 Engines 8 3 0 5 98 150 14 8 Agrics 2 8 2 0 6 50 261 8 9 Medics 8 0 0 8 46 272 1 Agrics 2 Engines Cup Semi-Finals Agrics 1 Cheeky Ladies 29 0 29 19 Titans Armstrong Wednesday’s Intra Mural Fixtures Football Div One: Castle Leazes vs Medics 1sts (Close House 1, 2pm) Div Two: Newhist FC vs The Hurricanes (Close House 5, 2pm) Div Three: Brown Magic FC vs Jesmondino FC (Close House 4, 2pm) Dynamos vs Galacticos (Close House 2, 2pm) Quarter-Final: Barca Law Na vs Lokomotiv (Longbenton 3G, 3.45pm) Dyslexic Untied vs Boca Seniors (Longbenton 2, 2pm) Henderson Hall vs Shakhtar FC (Longbenton 3G, 8pm) Politic Thistle vs Aftermath (Longbenton 1, 2pm) Rugby Union Cup Final: Agrics 1 vs Armstrong (Heaton 2, 2.15pm) L L 17 37 Division 2 Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1 Newcastle Medics 2nds 11 8 2 0 35 9 29 2 Boroussia Forsyth 11 8 0 2 39 16 27 3 Ecosoccer 12 7 1 4 48 28 22 4 Lokomotiv 10 7 1 2 45 26 22 5 The Hurricanes 11 4 1 6 35 32 13 6 Boca Seniors 12 4 0 8 32 37 12 (R) Newhist FC 12 1 2 9 16 58 5 (R) Ar U Shavin A Laugh 13 1 1 11 18 62 4 Top Goalscorers 14: Adam Duckworth (H’anes) 13: Jake Wimshurst (Shavin) Boca Seniors Lokomotiv Boroussia Forsyth Ar U Shavin A Laugh Netball 4pm-5pm Intra Mural
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