The Owl 2020

The Owl 2020
School Games
running rugby. The most pleasing thing was
the determination of the players to win with the
match coming down to the final kick of the
game with the side having been behind for the
entire match. Josh McKee stepped up to slot a
tricky penalty and seal a much deserved
victory. The side remained unbeaten in the
fixtures between Halloween and Christmas.
The highlight of this period being a victory
over Coleraine Grammar school, a side who
had dominated at this age group for the
previous three years.
The side suffered their first defeat away to
Campbell College in a fixture over the
Christmas period. The side underperformed in
difficult conditions. It served, however, as a
reality check and focused the minds on the
upcoming Medallion Shield.
The Medallion Shield draw was not kind; the
side were drawn away to Coleraine Grammar
School. In terrible conditions, the
determination and resilience of the team came
to the fore again. Despite going behind to an
early try, the side dominated proceedings and
went on to win the match. This was a fantastic
victory that sent the side into the quarter finals
with confidence.
The quarter final was a home fixture against
Wallace High School. Once again, conditions
were terrible with gale force winds blowing
straight down the pitch at Roughfort. BRA
played with the wind in the first half and failed
to register any points. This left the team to face
an uphill battle in the second half. The team
responded to the half-time war cries and gave
the performance of their lives to allow Wallace
to score a only single penalty. On a rare visit
to the Wallace half, Josh McKee slotted a
penalty to leave the scores at 3-3. This was
how the match finished and thus a replay was
scheduled for the following Tuesday at
Wallace.
This was once again a nail bitter, BRA scored
an early converted try and it appeared as
though they would win comfortably. However,
Wallace had other ideas and took control of the
game. In the second half, Wallace completely
dominated the game in terms of territory and
possession. BRA faced wave after wave of
attack and it seemed inevitable that Wallace
would score. BRA, however, were not to be
beaten and defended like lions, Wallace were
restricted to two penalties. The final whistle
brought jubilant scenes and place against
Campbell College in the semi-final.
The semi-final was played at R.B.A.I. It was a
match dominated by Campbell who raced out
of the blocks scoring three unanswered early
tries. It appeared as though the lads were
overawed by the occasion and they struggled
to get going. BRA did eventually get into the
game and scored a second half try, Campbell
did not register any points in the second half.
Sadly, however, the damage had been done
and Campbell College progressed to the final.
This was a really enjoyable season with a very
talented group of boys who promise much for
the future. They were excellently led by
captain Oliver Scott. I would like to thank Mr
Patterson for helping to coach the side
throughout the season. His enthusiasm and
expertise were invaluable.
UNDER 14 A XV AND B XV
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C.M.C.
The under 14 rugby season proved to be one
which was very competitive. It was heartening
to have a strong B side and lots of boys willing
to play rugby. There were some very strong
performances throughout the season from both
teams. The A team had a memorable win
against Campbell College in the final of the
under 14 plate at R.B.A.I., also defeating
Sullivan and Bangor Grammar on the way.
There were excellent performances against
Methody and R.B.A.I. were perhaps we did not
get what we deserved in terms of result. There
were good wins against Coleraine, Armagh
and Dungannon and plenty of very good rugby
played. Thanks to Alex Place and Joshua
Harold who captained the As and Bs
respectively. Congratulations to Alex and Josh
Manson who were both part of the Medallion
squad that reached the semi- final of the
Medallion Shield. I wish all the boys success
in their rugby careers
I.M.G.
U13 A XV
The U13 A team experienced a very successful
and encouraging rugby season, providing
much promise and expectation for the future.
The season opened with back to back 40-0
wins against Rainey Endowed and Ballyclare
High. Outstanding early season form was
shown by Jack Bacon and Samuel Clarke, who
demonstrated his ability from the kicking tee
as well as making some line breaking runs
from full-back.
A game away to Armagh Royal followed, with
forward Aaron Caldwell showing his scoring
potential, as well as tries from consistent team
captain Hadwyn Hughes and Frank Davis. The
steady hand of Adam Cairns proved vital for
the team’s continuity and Aaron Thompson
proved defensively solid on the wing.
More success was to follow in October and
November with handsome victories versus
Dungannon Royal and Bangor Grammar.
During this period, the team were reaping the
benefits of training sessions where pattern and
positional play were coming into focus; astute
players such as Kain McGrory and Jake
Carpenter helped to develop a strong pod
structure in the pack. Positional changes were
also afoot, with athletic full-back Aidan
Murphy making a positive switch to the wing,
Daniel Blayney alternating between the pack
and centre, and skilful out half Oliver Cox
making the transition to front row after a
conversation with Old Boy Tom Stewart.
An exceptional 50-0 win against Coleraine
would prove to be the peak of the season,
seeing a return of the outstanding Adam
Hewitt to the centre of an increasingly settled
backline. Both he and the mercurial Frank
Davis showed an ability to cut out the back line
of an entire team with individual tries first
kicked from hand. This win was underpinned
by an exceptional individual performance from
influential scrum-half Harper McCloskey, who
capped a fine display with an excellent try.