RUGBY: LEINSTER SCHOOLBOYS' SENIOR CUP FINAL: St Andrew's 1 Wesley College 1:CONOR QUINN'S goalkeeping heroics were the key factor as Wesley College claimed their sixth Leinster Schoolboys' Senior Cup title in seven years at Belfield yesterday, ending St Andrew's one -year reign as champions.
Quinn saved two penalty strokes in the shoot-out as well as producing a full-length dive to deny David Cole a winner two minutes before the end of extra-time.
Those blocks allowed Kirk Shimmins – a Junior Cup winner last week – to hold his nerve and complete the win with his side’s fourth successful stroke.
Earlier on, Wesley hit the front when David McCrea scored with a low drag-flick in the 23rd minute.
But St Andrew’s dominated from half-time onwards, with Fiachra Maher, Lee Cole and David Watkins central to their fightback.
Watkins levelled the game with an exquisite finish six minutes before the end when he fired home Oisín O’Halloran’s diagonal pass.
The Booterstown school continued to press forward in extra-time and, when Wesley coughed up a late penalty corner, they had their sights on a winner.
But Cole’s strike was brilliantly tipped around the post and Quinn then saved two of the first three Andrew’s penalties to set up.
WESLEY COLLEGE: C Quinn, D McCrea, B Chadwick, R Clarke, R Burke, M Lewis, T Samuel, K Shimmins, A Malcolm, A White, C Pullen, A Roberts, S Madeley, L Madeley, J Roberts, R Fitzgerald.
ST ANDREW'S:J Bernsden, I Moloney, J Codd, R Nair, D Cole, C Stephens, J Beirne, F Maher, O O'Halloran, L Cole, A Rooney, M Loughrey, E Foy, D Watkins, A Service, B Campbell
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