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Final Score: UL Vikings 21 - 8 Craigavon Cowboys
The UL Vikings booked there place in Shamrock Bowl XXV with a strong and hard fought win over a tough and gritty Craigavon Cowboys team in the Championship semi final at the University of Limerick on Sunday 17th July.
Craigavon started the game by receiving the opening kickoff, however, after a deep kick by Sean Goldrick and some stingy run defence from UL the Cowboys failed to pick up a first down and were forced into to punt from their own 20, giving the Vikings good field position. The Vikings wasted no time in converting this opportunity into points. Some good running from Marc Ashworth and Glen Carr brought the Vikings to the Cowboys 5 yard line before Seamus Hogan took the end around in for the first points of the day.
On the ensuing kickoff, Goldrick, aided by a strong wind, drove the ball into the Craigavon endzone, and after another successful series by the Vikings defence the Cowboys punted again. This time the Vikings found success through the air, and it was Hogan again who scored when he hauled in a 25 yard pass from Ashworth, the extra point giving the Vikings an early 14-0 lead.
This Cowboys team did not travel just to fulfil the fixture as their offence got into a rhythm at the start of the second quarter. The Craigavon QB #2 Chris Bondi took advantage of the strong wind and found a streaking #33 Conal Walsh who took it in for the score. Craigavon converted the 2 point conversion and it was game on in Limerick.
The Vikings failed to make anything of their ensuing possession and were forced to punt the ball back to Craigavon; however some confusion between the Cowboys center and quarterback led to an early snap which the Limerick defence recovered. Unfortunately, the Vikings could not take advantage of this opportunity to increase their lead as Craigavon caused a turnover of their own to pick up possession where they had left off. The Cowboys ran out of time on the ensuing drive and the score remained 14-8 at the break.
Limerick received the kickoff at the start of the second half and Brendan McCarthy returned it to the 35 yard line, however, a penalty pushed the Vikings back and they were again forced to punt back to the Cowboys who were full of confidence. The Cowboys drove to the Vikings 5 yard line but with some penetrating tackles from Brendan McCarthy and Kieran Coen, and some good coverage from Sean Sheehy the Vikings held firm and turned the ball over on downs.
It was now the offence’s chance to take the pressure off their well worked defence and did they do it in style. The Vikings put together a 95 yard drive that ran over 8 minutes off the clock and was as impressive an effort put forward by the group as has been seen all season long. Strong inside running from the entire Limerick backfield, along with some brutal blocks from their offensive line saw the team march up the field and into the Craigavon redzone. With 1st and goal to go, Twomey and Tong took turns probing for gaps in the Craigavon defence, before Ashworth took a 3rd down off tackle run and went the distance, extending the ball to break the plane and taking some of the pressure off the Vikings. Alan O’Carroll converted the extra point and the Vikings led 21-8 heading into the final 7 minutes of the game.
The Cowboys weren’t finished yet, and again aided by that strong wind, returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 40 yard line. The Cowboys again made progress down the field with some good ground gains from #9 Gary Carr, along with receptions from both #1 Peter Loughran and Craigavon’s #5. Again they entered the UL Vikings redzone, however this would be as close as they would come to scoring as Liam Ryan snagged the first and last interception of the game at the UL 5 yard line. The Vikings took over with 5 minutes on the clock, and with ball security being the priority, the Vikings played a conservative game. The offence failed to pick up the first down, and Liam Ryan boomed a punt deep into Craigavon territory. The Vikings defence smelled victory and put Craigavon under serious pressure, sacking Bondi in the backfield before Alan O’Carroll snuffed out a screen play. The Cowboys went 4 and out, ending their challenge to the League Champions. The Vikings kneeled out the clock, and will now face the Dublin Rebels in Shamrock bowl XXV, which is due to take place on the 31st July in Morton Stadium, Santry.
Scoring:
1st Quarter:
Vikings: S Hogan 5 yd run; A O'Carroll 1 ex pt
Vikings: S Hogan 25 yd reception from M Ashworth; A O'Carroll 1 ex pt
2nd Quarter:
Cowboys: C Walsh 30 yd reception from C Bondi; C Bondi pass 2 ex pt
3rd Quarter:
No Scoring
4th Quarter:
Vikings: M Ashworth 6 yd run; A O'Carroll 1 ex pt
Final Score: UL Vikings 21 - 8 Craigavon Cowboys
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