Frantic finale

DUNGANNON'S mix of tenacious forward play and opportunism took them to a deserved victory over Old Crescent as Stevenson Park.

But the home side lived dangerously in the closing stages as the visitors staged a stirring rally that yielded three tries and underlined their considerable resilience.

Dungannon, scrummaging solidly in the first half but encountering difficulty in the lineout, were never totally at ease, despite taking a 16-3 interval lead.

Dungannon took an early foothold when Joe Beggs swept in for a 13th-minute try which Keith McGarry converted. Ten minutes later McGarry hoisted over a penalty to put his side 10-0 in front.

Stephen Tuohy kicked a penalty in the 25th minute to give a modicum of comfort to the visitors. However, they conceded further ground in more ways than one when McGarry landed his second penalty seven minutes before the break to help assemble Dungannon's 16-3 interval advantage.

Dungannon streaked into a seemingly unassailable position in the 60th minute when skipper Michael Patton squeezed in for a try to give the home side a 23-6 cushion.

And McGarry put further day-light between the sides when he kicked his third penalty with just nine minutes remaining.

Old Crescent gained a new lease of life when Bowles went over for a fine try with six minutes remaining.

The hard-working Tuohy gained useful reward for his endeavours when he sped in for a try just at the end of normal time, and as the match wended its way into injury time, Old Crescent maintained their momentum.

Dungannon's backs were to the wall as they battled to contain the visitors' renaissance, and when Anthony O'Dwyer scrambled a third try in his team's golden spell, an improbable outcome suddenly loomed. But the whistle came to Dungannon's rescue and they gratefully pocketed the points after enduring several heart-stopping minutes of intense action.