JUST over half way through the campaign and Bective, with Dolphin in close attendance, continue to set the pace at the top of the table. However, Skerries and Wanderers, who both suffered defeat at the hands of Clontarf and Sunday's Well respectively, now find themselves off the pace.
Bective, visitors to Gibson Park, relied on their superior pack to subdue Malone and they got the breakthrough as early as the eighth minute. Flanker Stephen Montgomery took a blind side pass from scrumhalf Des Jackson, and was driven over the line.
That was to prove the highlight of an extremely dull affair. Outhalf Shane Buckley increased Betive's lead with a penalty four minutes into first half injury time, only for his opposite number, Gareth Fry, to reply in kind a minute later. And that, unfortunately for the spectators, was how it remained to the finish.
An upset looked on the cards for a time at Musgrave Park where second from bottom Highfield faced second from top Dolphin. High field took the lead through a John O'Neill penalty after two minutes and though Dolphin got back on terms through a Conor Mahony penalty on 15 minutes, it was Highfield who were pushing the pace. However they failed to convert their possession into scores and when Mahony sped over for a fine try five minutes into the second half, Dolphin were on their way. The final score was 24-6.
Although Skerries made most of the running in the first half against Clontarf at Castle Avenue, they only had two Jimmy Dempsey penalties to show for it at halftime.
In the second period, the Clontarf pack began to gain the upper hand and two penalties from Mark Woods had them level. Skerries regrouped and another Dempsey penalty on the hour had them back in front. The crucial score, however, came five minutes later when Clontarf's number eight, David Moore, broke from the back of the scrum and touched down just to the left of the posts. The 13-9 win keeps Clontarf right in contention.
Sunday's Well did their promotion hopes no harm with a 15-10 win over Wanderers at Lansdowne Road. It was the kicking of Well's left wing Conor Burke, which was to prove decisive. His second penalty, a fine effort from over 40 metres five minutes before the break, cut the gap to 7-6.
When Wanderers increased their lead through an Owen Cobbe drop goal two minutes into the second half, the home side looked in control. However, it was the visitors who showed the greater hunger and fitness and three more penalties from Burke saw them triumph.
UCC's losing sequence stretched to four games following their 19-17 defeat by Greystones at Dr Hickey Park. The home side, missing Reg Corrigan and out half Richie Murphy, got off to an ideal start, tries from Mark Dwyer and David Nolan helping them to a 12-0 lead.
The students, however, began to come more into the game and cut the Greystones lead at half time to four points. Another penalty early in the second half left UCC just a point adrift before Greystones prop Liam Murphy, went over for his side's crucial third try. Mark Dwyer's excellent conversion proved to be the difference between the teams in the end.
NIFC are definitely on a roll. They followed up their first win of the season over Skerries with a 16-16 draw with Monkstown at Sydney Parade on Saturday.
