THE GAIN LINE Creggs are J1C Cup champions!

Connacht J1C Cup Final: Creggs RFC 20 Oughterard RFC 12.

Creggs are the new Connacht J1C Cup champions following a hardfought win over Oughterard in last Sunday’s final in Tuam.

Creggs dominated the opening exchanges and led 8-0 after just ten minutes following a well executed try from Michael Feeley and a Mark Brandon penalty. A second try from Tommie Devine followed a period of Oughterard dominance as Creggs went in at the half 13-0 to the good.

Creggs really upped the tempo in the second half and added a further try through Tom Farrell. Brandon added the extras for further breathing space before the inevitable Oughterard backlash.

That backlash arrived in the form of two tries in the last quarter of the game but Creggs held out to secure a 20-10 win and the first piece of silverware for the club’s second side since the 1996 Ard na Cregg Cup win.

Youth Rugby

U-14 Girls: Creggs U-14 Girls had a hard-fought win in Dunmore in what was a game of two halves. The visitors did all the scoring in the first half with tries from Emily Kelly, Ruth King and Maya Madden and three conversions from Alice Featherstone. Dunmore responded with three tries of their own in the second half but failed to convert any of them as Creggs held out.

Buccaneers Rfc

Buccs lose out in Bateman final

High-flying Division 1A side Terenure College proved much too strong for a greatly depleted Buccaneers squad in the final of the Bateman Cup with the Dublin outfit winning comprehensively 71-13 on the 4G surface at their own Lakelands grounds on Friday night.

The hosts fielded a near full-strength team against a

Connacht U-15 Boys Cup: Creggs 50 Monivea 10. The U-15 Boys got their cup campaign off to a great start on Monday night at home to Monivea RFC.

After going out of the cup in the first round last year, the Creggs players were on a mission to put things right this time around.

Dan Kelly was the stand-out player with four tries but Cian Kiernan got himself in on the act with two while Jack Walsh and Kaylum Curran also crossed over for one apiece. Curran added the extras to four in what was a real team performance.

The next round of the cup is scheduled for the weekend of April 1st and 2nd.

Pirates crew missing a raft of players due to injuries and some on breaks (this was a scheduled free weekend on the fixtures list) while the Academy players were also not available.

U-16s progress in Connacht Cup

A slick and sharp Buccaneers side proved too hot to handle for Westport when the sides met in the Bank of Ireland Connacht U-16 Cup at Dubarry Park on Sunday with the home outfit emerging clearcut 53-7 victors on a windy but relatively mild day.

U-15s win in Westport

Buccaneers U-15s made the gruelling trip to Westport on a foul day of rain sleet snow and wind for a Connacht Cup tie. A resolute if at times error strewn performance saw Buccs overcoming a strong home squad by 20-10.

U-14 Girls beat cup holders

Buccaneers U-14 Girls put in a sparkling performance to overcome cup holders Tuam/Oughterard by 43-17 in a very entertaining contest at Dubarry Park on Saturday evening.

Next up is a home semifinal against local rivals Bal-

linasloe on Sunday, March 26th.

Saturday was a very busy day for Buccaneers Girls Rugby. The morning saw 12 teams visit for a Connacht Blitz at U-10 and U-12 with well over 100 girls from all over Connacht participating. Despite the conditions all teams had at least four games followed by some exceptional home catering, arranged by the U-10 and U-12 players parents. Great organisation by Sinead Kenny with help from Dan O’Meara and Larry Berrigan.

Auction on Sunday week

The venue for Buccaneers upcoming auction has been changed to The Bounty with the event still taking place on Sunday, March 26th, starting at 3.30 pm. Loads of interesting and varied items have already been confirmed for the auction, including an Ireland jersey signed by Jonny Sexton, four tickets to the Galway Races plus G Hotel stay, one night’s dinner and B&B for two at Barberstown Castle, a ton of coal, a hot tub boat voucher and, rumour has it, a pair of Paul Mescal’s GAA shorts! A 55” smart TV, loads of gravel and sand, art items, getaway breaks and hampers are also on offer with more being added daily so something interesting for everyone to bid for on the day.

Touch Rugby table quiz

Buccaneers Touch Rugby is holding a table quiz in The Bounty on Thursday, March 30th commencing at 8 pm. Fun night out with complimentary finger food and a raffle. Entry is only €10 per person and all support will be greatly appreciated.