Ennis lose out to Waterpark

Waterpark 20
Ennis 12

Ennis travelled to Waterford last Saturday for the quarter-final of the Avonmore Pan-Munster U-17 league. The home team had the better start and channelled all their plays through their out-half, David Kavanagh, whose distribution and control was central to their dominance in the opening 20 minutes.
After seven minutes, Waterpark carved open the Ennis defence and crossed the line under the posts for the first converted try of the game. Ennis were penalised shortly after for not rolling away at the breakdown but the penalty attempt went just wide of the post. However, on the 15-minute mark, Waterpark once again wrong-footed the Ennis defence and crossed for a second try close to the posts, leaving an easy conversion attempt and the score at 14-0 to the home side. 
As the half progressed, the visitors came more into the game, helped in no small way by resolute performances from James Crowley-Hayes, Liam Halpin and Ciarán  O’Connor. David Flynn and Oisín Kelly started to assert themselves at the breakdown and Ennis earned a series of penalties as Waterpark started infringing at the rucks.
With two minutes to go to half-time, Ennis were awarded a kickable penalty but out-half Eimhin Courtney took the brave decision to kick down the line. Ennis won the ensuing line-out and set up prop Ellie Mundu to force his way over the line for a try. Courtney obliged with the conversion.
Ennis started the second half much more aggressively and dominated the exchanges all over the field. Scrum-half Liam Lynch, who had one of his most influential performances, started to find gaps in the Waterpark defence and made three significant breaks that edged the visitors inside the 22. A series of scrums saw them camped on the five metre line and this pressure was eventually rewarded when Ellie Mundu once again forced his way over the line. The conversion attempt was just wide of the post but the momentum was certainly with Ennis at this stage. However, within the next 10 minutes a series of injuries to Liam Lynch, outside centre Brian Cahill and winger Lorcan Casey  killed the game and forced significant changes in the Ennis line-up.
The versatile Cian O’Ceallaigh coped well at scrum-half and David Reynolds was brought on to the wing. The home team gradually worked their way back into the Ennis half and closed out  the game with two further penalties.
Ennis were disappointed with the outcome but can take great pride in their performance. Indeed, had it not been for the sequence of injuries in the second half, they could well have walked away as victors from this encounter. They will now start preparing for the North Munster U-17 Cup.
Ennis:  James Crowley-Hayes, Ciarán O’Connor, Ellie Munde, Liam Halpin, Seamus Quigley, Oisín Kelly, Ronan McLernon, David Flynn, Liam Lynch, Eimhin Courtney, Evan McMahon, Brian Cahill, Lorcan Casey, Cian O’Ceallaigh, James Woods, Jason Smith, Darragh Ryan, Alan Birtchfield, Hugh Butler, David Reynolds, Conor Somers, David Carmody, Cathal Kelly, Paudie Carmody, Mikey Clinton.