Buccaneers, last year's AIL Division Three champions, marked their first appearance in the Smithwick's Old Belvedere Floodlit Cup with a comfortable victory over last season's Division Four champions Suttonians at Anglesea Road last night. The sides were reduced to 14 men midway through the first half when Buccaneers' flanker Donal Rigney and Suttonians hooker Eamonn McKeown were sent off for fighting.
Just as that short bout of fisticuffs looked like being the most memorable incident of a lack-lustre first half, Buccaneers got in for a vital try a minute before half-time.
Following good breaks by the impressive Owen Brennan and full back Garret Johnson the ball was fed out to scrum-half Philip Lynch who squeezed over under the posts. Eamonn Molloy, who scored two penalties before the dismissals, kicked the conversion to give Buccaneers a 13-0 interval lead.
That try seemed to settle Connacht whose mobile pack linked well in the difficult conditions.
The loss of McKeown was sorely felt 15 minutes into the second half when Buccaneers won a scrum against the head and got the ball away for out-half Derek Lawlor to dive over.
Two more well struck penalties in the 60th and 65th minutes by Molloy stretched their lead and substitute hooker Niall Moran rounded off a memorable night for Buccaneers with a try a minute into injury time.
Buccaneers: G Johnson; T Treanor, C Gormley, E Molloy, M Devine; D Lawlor, P Lynch; D Dobson, J McVeigh, M Whelan, B Rigney capt, R Keady, D Rigney, D Rigney, O Brennan. Replacements: N Moran, G Kelly and J Screene for D Dobson, J McVeigh and M Whelan (70 mins), A Lowry for P Lynch (73 mins).
Suttonians: R Gallagher; R Byrne, R Southam, B Davis, H Grennan; M Benton, S Custello; M Davis, E McKeown capt, T O'Connor, R Murray, G Caden, J Finucane, N O'Reilly, A Brice. Replacement: D Walsh for R Gallagher (44 mins). Referee: T Redmond (ARLB).
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