Sheridan try the difference

Leinster Schools' Junior Cup First-round replay/Belvedere College - 8 Clogowes Wood - 3: It took holders Belvedere College all their time to see off Clongowes Wood College in this Powerade Leinster Schools' Junior Cup first-round replay at Donnybrook yesterday.

Following the scoreless original fixture, Belvedere centre Ben Woods needed just four minutes to supply the first points with a penalty in the shadow of the posts.

Clongowes reacted by driving around the fringes through captain Wayne Larkin and prop Ronan Donoghue, and scrumhalf Gerard Mullen was always looking to break when the gaps appeared.

It looked as though Mullen might get in for the opening try when he chased his own chip, but fullback Richard Sheridan had the legs to retrieve the ball and send it to touch.

Soon, Sheridan was causing problems at the other end when, from a scrum in the middle of the pitch, Belvedere worked the ball left for the fullback to ground the ball for an 8-0 lead on the break.

Mullen was short and wide with two penalty attempts early in the second half, and off target with another angled effort midway through it.

However, he kept his nerve to slot a 50th-minute kick.

There was plenty of time left for a final twist to this story.

When Larkin broke loose down the left in injury-time, centre Niall Myron came across to drive his right shoulder into the midriff of the Clongowes captain. It was as comprehensive a tackle as one could wish to see and it ensured Belvedere's passage through to a quarter-final showdown with Blackrock College.

SCORERS: Belvedere College: R Sheridan try; B Woods pen. Clongowes Wood College: G Mullen pen.

BELVEDERE COLLEGE: R Sheridan; D Murray, N Myron, B Woods, D O'Riordan; S Doyle, C O'Shea; A D'Arcy, C O'Flynn, D Carrig, A Sheridan, G Slattery, B Geraghty, D Casey, C O'Brien (capt). Replacements: R Irwin for Casey (h-t); B Murphy for Woods (35 mins); P Gilsenan for Carrig (39 mins); K O'Brien for D'Arcy (51 mins).

CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE: C Waldron; D Lynch, D Gillespie, S Kennedy, D Cullen; C Hanley, G Mullen; R Donoghue, J Dilger, J Mannu, S Kennedy, S Ryan, G Hoban, W Larkin (capt), R Timlin. Replacement: E O'Leary for Mullen (59 mins).

Referee: K Beggs (Leinster Branch).