Senior Status for Navan

After 85 years Navan eventually made it to senior rugby when they defeated Monivea 40-20. They victory means Navan have earned a place in the AIL Div 3 for next season. There was a big crowd in place at Balreask Old on a pleasant spring day to watch a piece of rugby history in the making as Brad Harris and his side outgunned the westerners to secure their place in the senior ranks. Scrum-half Kieran Mattson showed the way for Navan with three tries, two in the second-half. Alan Hickey, Sylvanus Iro also broke through for touchdowns and Navan were also awarded a penalty try in the second-half. Karl Manning produced another fine display at full-back and he slotted over five conversions to help his team to a convincing victory. However, Navan didn"t have it all their own way especially in the opening half. At one stage they trailed by three points and only led 12-8 at the interval. The Monivea tries were scored by Ronan Coughlan, Rory O"Connor and Darren Blade with Kevin Higgins adding a conversion and a penalty. Navan turned on the style in the second-half to achieve a long cherished ambition for the Balreask Old club.