Tullamore seal dramatic win with late penalty

Leinster League Division 1A Round 2: Tullamore 13, Tullow12

There was late drama in Spollanstown as Tullamore claimed a thrilling win over Tullow thanks to a last-minute penalty from Conor Dunne – it means that Tullamore are one of three teams that have won their opening two games while the rest are all joint second.

Tullamore started brightly, with scrum-half Sam Burns producing an expert box kick into space. Sean McCabe showed his pace and awareness to gather the ball and sprint clear for the game’s opening try.

After this early breakthrough, the home side struggled to settle fully into their rhythm. Their handling and kicking faltered, allowing Tullow to respond with two penalties late in the half to edge into a narrow one-point lead at the break.

Tullow built on their momentum after the restart, crossing for a converted try to stretch the gap to eight points. At that stage, the game appeared to be slipping away from Tullamore.

However, a superb deep kick from Josh Huddlestone turned the tide, sparking energy into the contest. From the resulting play, Shane Minnock stole a Tullow lineout and powered towards the line. The ball was quickly shifted wide to Gary Cantwell, who was stopped inches short of the try line. With Tullamore awarded a penalty, they opted for a tap-and-go. Alan Douglas took charge and drove over for a crucial try. Conor Dunne added the conversion to cut the deficit to just a single point.

For the final 10 minutes, Tullamore pressed hard, testing the visitors’ defence. Eventually, Cathal Farrell – who had carried strongly all afternoon – was tackled high, earning his side a penalty on the ten-metre line. Up stepped Conor Dunne, who showed nerves of steel to slot the kick and secure a dramatic 13–12 victory for the home side.

TULLAMORE: Cathal Behan, Shane Minnock, Adam Carthy, Marty Cummins, Alan Douglas, David Boland, Tadgh Dowdall, Colm Heffernan, Sam Burns, Josh Huddlestone, Gary Cantwell, Cathal Farrell, Conor Dunne, Sean McCabe, Karl Dunne (Captain). Replacements: Calvin Mahon, Steven Pyke, Ryan Mealiffe, Eoin O’Reilly, Brendan Minnock.

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U15 boys

Tullamore U15 boys played Mullingar in the Midland League on Saturday and won 7 - 5 in a very physical first match of the season. Tullamore try was scored by Oisin Dolan and was converted by Cillian Daly.

Tullamore, playing with only 15 players and many of them playing out of their preferred positions, held out a very strong Mullingar for the last 10 minutes to win the match.