Tara Deane accepting the trophy from Kay Bowen. Photo: Peter Wolfe
Conor Bates
Sports Editor
As a whole, Trinity Rugby is enjoying a tremendous purple patch in its storied history. The men’s team is progressing fantastically through their Ulster Bank League season, and earlier this month, recorded a comprehensive victory over UCD. For the club’s most recent success however, the focus is squarely on the ladies team.
Last Saturday, the women of Trinity Rugby took on UCC in the inaugural Kay Bowen Trophy. The trophy is named for former DUFC President Kay Bowen, and is awarded to the best team in ladies intervarsity rugby. UCC are traditionally strong competitors in ladies rugby, but on the day it was the spirited home side who wrote their names into the history books.
A frenzied, frenetic and combative game throughout, the first score arrived around the twentieth minute. Following a barnstorming break from centre Amanda Shauvlin, club captain Tara Deane drove at the UCC defence only metres from the try-line. The flanker saw an opening and played a deft offload to prop Louise Sullivan. Sullivan buried through the remaining defenders and touched down for Trinity’s first points. The conversion was missed, and Trinity took a 5-0 lead into the half.
With both sides doing themselves justice in all quarters, it took Trinity until the 50th minute to secure the win. Ten minutes into the second half Amanda Shauvlin again found herself at the heart of the attack, as she played a decisive pass to winger Aoife Ruane. Ruane displayed her remarkable speed as she blitzed past her would-be tacklers and touched the ball down in the corner. Although the conversion was unsuccessful once again, 10-0 proved to be too much for the visiting side to overcome, and Trinity ran out winners in front of a sizeable crowd.
Tara Deane was presented the trophy by Kay Bowen herself, and given the eighty minutes of toil and labour just past, the captain showed great poise in acknowledging the victory of her club, and above that, the victory of ladies intervarsity rugby. All things considered, this is a side that has proved its mettle and will no doubt do so again.
Full match report to follow.
