Victory earns place at top of the table

FOUR tries and a crucial bonus point were just some of the positives Navan took from their victory over Newbridge in the Leinster League Div 1 on Sunday. The weather conditions made quick ball-handling difficult and in those conditions the visitors did well to run in the four tries that sealed victory. The home side started well and applied the early pressure however, Navan gave themselves a firm foothold in the game after five minutes when they ran in the first try with David King getting the touchdown in the corner. Out-half Ryan Roberts was left with a difficult conversion and despite an excellent attempt he just pushed the ball wide of the uprights. Navan continued to apply pressure however, and after 13 minutes the backs made their first telling impact on the game when winger Simon Hogan crossed the line for a try. This time Roberts made no mistake and duly converted extending Navan"s lead to 12-0. Navan started the second-half well and it took no more than five minutes before they crossed for their third try. Player/coach Brad Harris broke from loose play and raced down the sideline. He drew in the covering defender before passing to Sylvanus Iro who crossed in the corner to score Navan"s third try which Roberts converted. Newbridge clawed their way back up the pitch and when Roberts kicked to clear Navan"s lines, the ball was blocked down by the Newbridge out-half. The Navan pack were rewarded when Iro crossed in the corner for his second and Navan"s fourth try, but Roberts missed the conversion. With league leaders Skerries defeated by Boyne, this victory helped Navan climb to the top of the Div 1 table two points clear of Skerries. The two sides meet in an eagerly-awaited clash next Sunday at Skerries" home ground. Navan - E King, C Brady, D King, B Harris, J Duffy, P Fenney, T Clarke; S Iro, C Mattson, R Roberts, S Hogan, M Harrington, R Conaty, T Geraghty, M McAuley. Subs - T Geraghty for A Hickey, E Dunne for E King, J Baker for C Brady, S Dawson for T Clarke. Ashbourne 20 Coolmine 23 Despite scoring four tries, a combination of a slow start, some unlucky breaks and a good performance from their opponents, Ashbourne were beaten in this Leinster League Div 2 encounter on Sunday. Following some poor weather the conditions underfoot were slippery with Coolmine just about doing enough to win. Ashbourne fielded a new half-back combination with Keith Kennedy starting his first game at scrum-half with recent addition Brian Donnelly filling in at out-half. This allowed Andy Munn to revert to full-back while Dermot Colreavy moved out to the wing. The pack reverted to some semblance of normality with Christy Jordan returning to action in the front row. John Gavin switched to his more regular position at number six. These changes may have explained Ashbourne"s slow start, but for the first 10 minutes the game ping-ponged from one end of the pitch to the other with no discernable shape. Coolmine played with a lot of confidence their efforts were rewarded when they went ahead from a penalty kick. Up to that point the Ashbourne front five had the upper-hand, and though the home team"s backrow played really well throughout the game, they were equally matched by their Coolmine counterparts, Both sides ran the ball through their backs as well as kicking, and Donnelly"s distribution showed a lot of potential. Ashbourne had one long-range penalty attempt that was missed just left of the posts after 25 minutes. The only try of the first-half came with 35 minutes gone when Coolmine moved the ball wide for their winger to break a tackle and get a touchdown which was converted. The visitors led 10-0 at the break. Coolmine struck first after the break with a penalty to extend their lead. It was then that Ashbourne raised their game with man-of-the-match Jeff Mahon touching down after some excellent work in the pack. The difficult conversion from Donnelly landed on the crossbar and bounced back into play. Coolmine hit back with another three points from a penatly kick and a converted try. Ashbourne looked dead and buried, but they dug deep and started to fight their way back in the last 20 minutes. This spirited comeback nearly brought a magic result but the clock beat them. Led by Mahon, captain James McCaghy the whole Ashbourne team upped the pace. Three tries followed with Mahon, Phil Ward and Matt Hall breaking through for touchdowns, all in the left corner. Donnelly came close to converting in all cases. An upset was possible, but the clock ran out. A relieved Coolmine team celebrated a lucky escape while Ashbourne were left to rue a game that got away. One consolation for Ashbourne is that they did pick up a bonus point and while promotion is now a huge ask it is not impossible. Ashbourne - A Munn, D Colreavy, M Ward, P Mullen, E Conaty, B Donnelly, K Kennedy; C Jordan, J McCaghy, C McMahon, J Mahon, I Power, J Gavin, C Glennon, P Hall.