The most unpredictable of late tries by John Kennedy was the only difference in Belvedere reaching the Leinster School's Junior Cup final ahead of a courageous St Mary's side at Donnybrook yesterday.
The fine spring sunshine made playing conditions ideal, and even if the scoring was this limited, the pace rarely dropped. Both sides had clear speed and talent in the backs while the size of the Belvedere pack was particularly noticeable. That strength was best exploited in the first half as Belvedere slowly took the initiative. Ian Flynn made some cutting runs into scoring territory, supported with some quick thinking by Brian McLoughlin in the centre as well as the hard-working number eight David O'Brien. Full back David O'Reilly was also given two chances to put them ahead inside the first 20 minutes, but both penalties were sent slightly wide.
It took longer for St Mary's to settle, more through their fear of conceding points and their cautious handling of possession. Still, they survived the best Belvedere could give them.
St Mary's had put together their best period soon after the restart. Doherty and out-half Joey Connolly fell just short with the best of their chances, while captain Michael Ryan ensured the ball was always running freely between his fellow three-quarters.
All that pressure vanished 20 minutes in when Belvedere stole the breakthrough with O'Reilly's quick pass to Flynn half-way inside their territory. His kick and chase ended with a confusing succession of bounces that eventually fell into the path of Kennedy. He pounced down for the try, much to the disbelief of St Mary's. The St Mary's spirit wasn't quite extinguished. Connolly had them back on their toes when he blocked a Kennedy clearance close to the line, but Flynn recovered it just in time.
Then, in the final minute, Ryan had the whole stand gasping when his solo run carried him more than half the field and past almost the entire Belvedere team. Unfortunately for St Mary's, the last man back, O'Reilly, was able to pull him down and ensure Belvedere meet Blackrock in the final on Sunday week.
Belvedere College: D O'Reilly; G Murphy, P Hobbs, B McLoughlin, I Flynn; J Kennedy, M Broe; E O'Meara, P McGuire, J Leech, B McArdle, M Travers, R O'Donnell, R Leyden, D O'Brien (capt). Replacements: M Hayes for Leech and P Campbell for Travers (both 48 mins).
St Mary's College: G Roche; J Clarke, M Ryan (capt), P Griffin, R Doherty; J Connolly, S Gibney; B Higgins, O McCormack, D McNally, F O'Sullivan, D Good, P Spillane, G O'Donovan, C Lennon. Replacements: R Timmons for O'Donovan (19 mins), S Grissing for Clarke (25 mins).
Referee: D Woods (ARLB).
