Grammar boys left disappointed after Friends' smash and grab

Friends’ 17

LARNE Grammar School hosted a Friends’ School team that came and left with a victory following a smash-and-grab’ performance during the game.

The Larne pack caused major problems for the visitors in the scrums, but the well organised Friends' School defence ensured that the Larne team got little opportunity to impress with the ball in hand. Tom Saunderson and Stuart McIlwaine asked big questions of the Friends' defence but David McGuigan, Ross McCaughey and Rory McIvor ensured that their defence remained intact.

Somewhat against the run of play, it was the Friends' team that registered the first score of the game. The pack turned over a Larne Grammar School ball when the home team had put themselves into a good position.

Ben Semple and Rory McIvor ensured that the ball went into the Larne Grammar School half. Good follow-up tackling from Desi Eastwood and Michael Cochrane forced the Larne midfield backs into a series of mistakes. When the ball went loose it was hacked on by the Friends' team allowing their top try scoring centre, Andrew Vance, to win the race for the touch down. Craig Lewsley added the conversion to see his team take an unlikely 7-0 half time lead. This score gave a great boost to the Friends' School team but to the Larne players it was a setback from which they never fully recovered.

The Friends' team opened the second half strongly and it was the Larne Grammar School team that had to defend. Stuart McIlwaine, Jonny Henry, James Mitchell and Houston Saunderson stemmed the flow of Friends' attacks with some excellent tackling.

Desi Eastwood and Paddy Pringle were putting pressure on the Larne team with their strong running lines. It was as a result of a Friends' attack that the home team was conceded a penalty at the breakdown. Craig Lewsley stepped up and calmly slotted the ball over to extend the Friends' lead to a more comfortable 10-0 midway through the half.

Larne never gave up and took the game to Friends' once more. Robert McKinley and Stuart McIlwaine demanded a supply of ball from their pack but once again the Friends' defence held firm with Paddy Ferguson and James Vance ensuring that their presence at the tackle area was felt.

The game was sealed for the Lisburn boys when their outstanding No 8, David McGuigan, broke away for a try following a good interchange of play between both forwards and backs. Craig Lewsley added the points and it was the Friends' team that marched into the fourth round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools' Cup.