Garryowen Show True Grit To Topple St. Mary’s

Garryowen overturned their recent league defeat at the hands of the same opposition when they beat St. Mary’s College in the AIB Cup’s third round in atrocious conditions at Dooradoyle.

AIB CUP: THIRD ROUND: Saturday, November 7

GARRYOWEN 19 ST. MARY’S COLLEGE 3, Dooradoyle

Scorers: Garryowen: Try: Penalty try; Con: Gerry Hurley; Pens: Gerry Hurley 4
St. Mary’s College: Pen: Gavin Dunne

Credit to the ground staff for having the pitch playable and they were rewarded for their efforts with an encouraging win for the home side.

Two penalties by former Munster squad member Gerry Hurley helped Garryowen off to a good start, before St. Mary’s out-half Gavin Dunne replied with one of his own.

Hurley added another Garryowen penalty and Paul Cunningham’s men were well on their way to the quarter-final stage when they picked up a penalty try before the break.

St. Mary’s could not eat into the 16-3 half-time deficit and Hurley subsequently made doubly sure with his fourth penalty of a dreadful afternoon weather wise.

The win, which sees Garryowen reclaimed the Shay Deering memorial trophy, sets up them for a crack at their Division 1A rivals Blackrock College in a tasty AIB Cup quarter-final tie at Stradbrook in a fortnight’s time.