Larne blow Newry away after rusty start

Larne 68

LARNE took a while to get going against Newry in their Qualifying 3 League match on Saturday, but when they clicked into gear there was no stopping the Glynn men.

There were a few changes to the Larne side after the bruising cup clash against Grosvenor the week before. Welcomed back were stand-in skipper McFetridge, prop Lough and Mark Magill at centre.

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Larne got off to quite a lethargic start, missing firs- time tackles and Newry capitalised, going in at the corner for an early unconverted try. This proved quite a culture shock to the Larne side who then realised they had a hard task in hand.

Countless errors was the pattern of the start of play for the Larne side but fifteen minutes in they scored their first points. A quick tapped free kick by R McIlheron was passed to No 8 McCluggage, who powered through the Newry defence to score. Garrett converted.

Larne soon found themselves a man down after the sin-binning of McCluggage. The visitors capatilsed on their numerical advantage and struck a penalty, only to see Larne rally back and score a try through Scott Montgomery.

The pack began to dominate in the scrums and, after a set-piece move, out half Garrett scythed the Newry defence and ran in under the posts. He then converted the score. Larne scored a further try through centre Hall.

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The floodgates opened in the second period as the tries poured in. The forwards were setting up good quick ruck ball which the backs exploited. Magill and Hall combined well in the centre, which saw them get two second-half tries and allowing Hall to get his hat-trick.

Larne also scored a well-executed try through prop McMullan, who powered his way over the line, carrying three Newry defenders with him. Garrett also scored another by breaking the line of defence and outsprinting the Newry full back.

Larne Team (1-15): D Lough, D Hagans, M McMullan, J McFetridge (Capt), E Hunter, M Crampsey, M McIlheron, J McCluggage, R McIlheron, R Garrett, G Mills, M Magill, J Hall, S Montgomery, S Marshall.

Fixtures (March 20th): Larne 1st XV vs Holywood 1st XV (Away); Larne 2nd XV VS Limavady 2nd XV (Away); Larne 3rd XV vs Malone 4th XV (Away)

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On Sat March 27 there will be a James Bond themed Casino Evening at the club. Tickets are 15 which includes buffet and monies to gamble with. Anyone interested in attending please contact the club to book a ticket.

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