Con’ Retain Bateman Cup

After a poor league campaign, Cork Constitution produced their best form of the season to beat a fancied Clontarf side in the Ulster Bank Bateman Cup final at Temple Hill.

Cork Constitution 24, Clontarf 9.
Since the reintroduction of this competition, the trophy has stayed in Munster and Cork Constitution kept it in Temple Hill for a third successive season after a first class performance that saw them get sweet revenge for their recent league defeat in Castle Avenue.

Playing with a strong wind in the opening half Clontarf were camped in the Con’ 22 for the opening fifteen minutes but were unable to put points on the board.

David Joyce put Clontarf ahead with a penalty on twenty four minutes.

Con’ hit back with tries from Luke Cahill and James Ryan both of which Darragh Lyons converted.

Joyce kicked two penalties to leave the home side 14-9 ahead at the break.

Two minutes into the second half Lyons kicked a drop goal to give Con’ an eight point lead.

Clontarf rallied in the closing stages as they went in search of a try but a break out of defence by Graeme Lawler who linked up with Rob Jermyn and he sent Darren Sweetnam racing away to score under the post two minutes from time and Tomás Quinlan converted.

Cork Constitution: D Sweetnam; N Hodson, JJ O’Neill, N Kenneally, R Jermyn; D Lyons G Hurley; G Duffy, M Abbott, G Sweeney; C O’Flaherty, G Lawlor; L Cahill, J Murphy, J Ryan.
Replacements: L O’Connor, A Slattery, A Ross, S Dwyer, A Dorgan, T Quinlan, R Horgan.

Clontarf: R Keogh; M Brown, C O’Shea, M Darcy, M McFarland; D Joyce, S Cronin; I Hirst, B Byrne, R Burke-Flynn; T Byrne, B Reilly; K Moran, A Darcy, T Ryan.
Replacements: R Lichfield, L Og Murphy, I Soroka, D O’Meara, E Ryan, C O’Brien, C O’Keeffe.

Referee: D Wilkinson (IRFU).