Centre Killian Kennedy scored the only try of a hard-fought game at Cill Dara RFC last Sunday to help Navan lift their ninth Provincial Towns Cup – the Meath side ran out 14-3 winners over a durable Skerries outfit.
2006/07 RE/MAX PROVINCIAL TOWNS CUP FINAL: Sunday, April 29
NAVAN 14 SKERRIES 3, Cill Dara RFC
Scorers: Navan: Try: Killian Kennedy; Pens: Ryan Roberts 3
Skerries: Pen: Dermot O’Neill
Rubbishing the pre-match predictions of a free-flowing game, the Provincial Towns Cup final quickly turned into a hard slog as the forwards battled it for yardage and missed kicks blighted the play, particularly for a nervous Navan side.
Skerries, eleven times winners of the Towns Cup, opened well and lock Dermot O’Neill pinged over an early penalty and a 3-0 lead which the Dubliners held onto until half-time.
Navan missed two penalty chances in the first half, with out-half Ryan Roberts off target on both occasions but he did find his range late in the second half to guide his side home.
Skerries may well have been further in front at the break but back rower Ronan Connolly lose control of the ball as he tried to work his way over the try line.
Skerries may well have won the sides’ Leinster League Division One clash, earlier in the season, but Navan upped the ante for the second period and a bout of pressure almost paid off when Brad Harris got within sight of the whitewash, but the player-coach was just held up.
Moments later, Navan’s try did come when they worked an attack off a scrum, with David Delahunt and Roberts linking and Simon Donnelly sent out a neat pass for Kennedy to cut through and touch down.
The conversion was missed by Roberts but Navan remained in control, despite O’Neill missing a penalty. The victory was never going to be clear-cut as Delahunt kicked a drop goal off the post and Roberts missed from another penalty opportunity.
But the Navan out-half did find his place-kicking form in the closing ten minutes, landing three successive kicks to confirm Harris’ men as champions. David Lee did miss out on a late try for Skerries, as he dropped the ball, but Navan were deserving winners on the day.
Navan: S Donnelly; N Welsh, R Conaty, K Kennedy, S Hogan; R Roberts, D Delahunt; D King, J Baker, E King, B Harris, P Feeney, T Clarke, J Maule, B Smyth.
Replacements used: K Brassil for D King, C Brady for Baker, A Hickey for Welsh, D Crinion for Clarke, D Brecknell for Harris.
Skerries: J Boland; D Quirke, E Caraher, G Early, S Donoghue; J Brady, P Beggs; D Dornan, O Ennis, G Duffy, B Murray, D O’Neill, J Sherlock, R Connolly, D Lee.
Replacements used: N Walsh for Murray, M Nally for Donoghue, D Walsh for Caraher, F O’Shea for O’Neill, M Campbell for Boland.
Referee: Kevin Beggs (Leinster)
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