Larne were wearing green shirts and white shorts, with Randalstown donning red shirts and also white shorts, at a cloudy Affidea. As the lunchtime crowd filtered into the Grand Stand seating, kick-off edged ever nearer, as the McCrea Cup final took to the grand setting of the Affidea Stadium.
As the atmosphere surged, the players completed their warm-up with the Larne faithful in especially good cheer, roused further by a fist-pump in their direction from skipper, Ryan McAlister.
The adrenaline was certainly flowing as Larne set about chasing down Randalstown, inside their own 22, within the first 60 seconds, fly-half Oran Gilbert being introduced to the final’s physicality in no time at all. Yet his side won the first scrum penalty and the noise that greeted it signaled that Randalstown had also travelled in numbers.
Big hits were frequent early on, Larne’s Jamie Ross putting Eoin McDonald back to the 40m line. A snipe from Michael Smith, Randalstown’s scrum-half, nearly had his side into the 22, only for the final pass to go loose.
Scrummaging was another key battleground, Randalstown getting on top in that department, squeezing a penalty to give themselves a lineout 5m out. McDonald’s throw found it’s target, McDonald joining the back of a maul which Larne repelled. The red wave kept coming, though, Randalstown getting a second bite at the cherry.
This time, Larne were powerless to prevent the maul from rumbling into the left corner, unstoppably, with McDonald dotting it down. Captain, Eoin Letters couldn’t convert.
Larne needed to assert themselves again and a penalty won on halfway helped them gain an attacking foothold. Thomas Patton’s first lineout, however, was overthrown and gobbled up by reactionary Randalstown backs. Winning it back, Larne forced a penalty in kickable range, only for Gilbert to miss the posts.
Reprieved, Randalstown went back into the 22, after more Larne in-discipline. McDonald’s next throw went to hand, Randalstown though knocking it on, to curtail their attempt at a second try.
With the sun now out from the clouds, the first quarter ended with Larne winger Charlie Patterson brilliantly racing down the right touchline, his grubber ahead vitally mopped by Letters, before the searing Patterson could finish off his own kick.
That got the crowd going and Larne then won a penalty on the other side, out left, which Gilbert rammed into the corner. From there, Larne went from left to right, across the 22, only to meet a red wall of resistance.
Larne’s pressure was undoubtedly mounting and Randalstown were resorting to more-and-more last-ditch tackles to preserve their try-line from being breached. Patterson was shining, though and an ingenious pass back inside from him, tight to the touchline, allowed replacement Phil Andrews to squeeze, literally squeeze, over for Larne’s levelling square. Faced with a tight angle, like Letters, to convert from, Andrews also couldn’t add the extras, leaving us locked up at five apiece.
Randalstown’s response was fast-flowing, Letters to Peter Cullen on the left, who ran out of road approaching the 22.
It didn’t take anything sophisticated, though, for Randalstown to retake the lead, Patterson’s first error of note proving costly as he spilt a kick in-behind, Dean McCrory pounding away and brought down just short. Yet, the score was still on, Ryan O’Dea picking up the pieces to dive over for a score which Gilbert converted, to leave Randalstown with a 12-5 advantage.
Randalstown, though, escaped a yellow card when Conor Ferry, another replacement, couldn’t resist an elbow into the chest of Patterson on halfway, referee Simon Crooks showing leniency to the Randalstown contingents’ consternation.
Some solace came Larne’s way to end the half, at least, a whopper penalty from Ryan McDowell closing the gap just four points, at the break, at Affidea.
HT: Larne 8 v Randalstown 12
The second half started with Jack McCarroll bursting through the lines, Jonny Farqhar knocking on in his attempts to foil him. Fortunately for the Larne full-back, the resulting scrum saw Randalstown stopped short.
With both sides struggling to cleanly tame the ball from the skies, it was a stop-start third quarter of the final, Randalstown remaining just four slender points to the good.
McDowell then illuminated proceedings, with a stunning solo run through Larne’s attacking half, finding himself outnumbered, though, before the try-line could embrace him.
Laren were seeing the lion’s share of possession but too far away from crucial points-scoring range, as Randalstown tackled, tackled and tackled some more.
As the heavens then opened, Randalstown gave their fans something to sing about in the rain, O’Dea finishing off a period of pressure for his second score, Gilbert also sticking the conversion to make the lead a more secure 11 points.
Randalstown sensed the momentum, pursuing a fourth try vigorously, as Larne desperately defended, trying to keep their fading McCrea Cup dreams intact. O’Dea sniped, searching for his hatrick score, only to be held up on the line.
That near miss proved immaterial as Gilbert then bisected Larne, a delicious chip in behind, bang into the hands of winger, Peter Culle, who sidestepped the helpless last defender, to dot down Randalstown’s fourth. Gilbert fired the kick wide but by now the lead was a hearty one, 24-8, Randalstown now out beyond two converted tries.
Larne almost escaped through an intercept by Patterson, who had the whole half in front of him, but not the necessary speed to escape Letters. Letters then gave the Randalstown support a roaring cheer seconds later, showcasing his stamina with a sprint from similar range, the captain not to be caught, as Letters delivered a postage-stamp, Cup-sealing, fifth, Randalstown try.
Gilbert’s conversion clipped the post but nothing could sour the Randalstown happiness, not even Patterson speeding into the right corner, untracked, for a tidily taken consolation try for Larne.
McDowell’s missed conversion was the last kick and then Randalstown erupted in celebration, as the full-time whistle officially crowned them McCrea Cup winners.
All that remained was the handing out of medals and, finally, the trophy which Letters hoisted high into the Belfast skies, Larne runners-up, as Randalstown win the McCrea Cup.
FT: Larne 13 v Randalstown 29
Player of the Match: Ryan O’Dea (Randalstown)
### Teams -
Larne
15 Jonny Farquhar, 14 Charlie Patterson,13 Ryan McDowell, 12 Eamonn McAnulty, 11 Jonny Dallas, 10 Aaron McBride, 9 Ryan Erskine, 1 James Davidson, 2 Thomas Patton, 3 Jack Hill, 4 Jamie Ross, 5 Geoffrey McKinty, 6 Steven Dickey, 7 Ryan McCalister ©, 8 Eddie Hunter
Replacements: 16 Glen Carson, 17 Barry Petticrew, 18 Ryan McKenzie, 19 Phil Andrews, 20 Jacob Swann
Randalstown
15 Eoin Letters ©, 14 Peter Cullen, 13 Cormac Devlin, 12 Ryan O’Dea, 11 Sam McNeice, 10 Oran Gilbert, 9 Michael Smith, 1 Ross Clarke, 2 Eoin McDonald, 3 Rab Mawhinney, 4 Jack McCarroll, 5 Dean McCrory, 6 Gary Hume, 7 Conor Murray, 8 Craig Houston
Replacements: 16 Adam Watt, 17 Scott Stevenson, 18 Conor English, 19 Conor Ferry, 20 Daniel Cullen
SCORERS
Larne:
Tries: Andrews, Patterson. Pens: McDowell
Randalstown:
Tries: McDonald, O’Dea (2), Cullen, Letters. Cons: Gilbert (2)