Medallion boys go marching on

The meeting handed the College boys another opportunity to impress in the aftermath of the pre-Christmas success away to Foyle.

Dylan Nelson posted a slick try then steered over a penalty before the break.

Difficult weather conditions reduced the scoring opportunities in the second half but the College proved determined against Dalriada to protect the 8-0 advantage.

The reward for the College is a test at home on Saturday, January 30 against one of the shield favourites, Methody.

“The conditions on Saturday were very difficult and we knew this suited a very big and powerful Dalriada backrow,” said the College’s Medallion coach, Stephen McDowell. “After a few early mistakes and some desperate defence, we settled and began to exert our dominance, especially up front.

“For most of the first half we were camped inside the Dalriada half but just weren’t clinical enough to get over the line.

“The breakthrough came midway through the first half when Dylan showed good opportunism as he picked up a loose ball and, with great evasive skills, beat three or four players then stretched over the line for the first score.

“The conversion was missed but the pressure from the College pack continued and, just before half-time, Dalriada conceded a penalty just outside the 22-metre line.

“Dylan stepped up again to put us 8-0 at half-time.

“Conditions worsened in the second half, which led to a lot of handling errors.

“Our pack maintained the dominance but we couldn’t get the last pass away to finish the game off.

“Dalriada put up a brave fight but struggled to get the ball out and we stuck to our task thanks to some great defence.

“It has been a great achievement for the College Medallion to get this far.

“Credit to the players for their commitment and effort all season.”

Portadown College firsts’ Schools’ Cup campaign will continue tomorrow (Saturday) with a date at Chambers Park. Play against Friends’ School will start at 10.30.