Gorey 8, Wicklow 3:

Gorey Under-19s have surely ensured a SouthEast league semi-final place after a hard-earned home win over Wicklow on Saturday last. In doing so, they reversed the defeat inflicted when the sides met in the Leinster league encounter eight weeks ago. Gorey haven't lost since.

The scrum excelled, with the game's two defining moments belonging to Dominic Surace with two critical strikes against the head at opportune times.
Gorey won the toss and chose to play with the strong, somewhat crossfield, wind.

Wicklow were first to gain field position, and their play-making outhalf was content to kick a drop goal from close in to open the score.

From a scrum seven metres out with a narrow left blind side, Dominic Surace struck his first against the head.
Finding his back line almost entirely on the open side, scrum-half Robert Harrington opted for a Stringer-style dart around the blind side to sneak over for the game's only try. Conor Hatton failed with the difficult conversion and with a subsequent penalty attempt.
Gorey failed to turn territory into points in the second quarter.

Only 5-3 ahead at the break, surely Gorey would be hard-pressed to win the second-half? What followed was a display of some guts as Gorey gave themselves some breathing space with a fabulous Conor Hatton penalty into the wind (8-3.

With patient building of the phases, Gorey released No. 6 Jordan Aherne through the narrowest of midfield gaps on the '22, but his scoring pass to Eddie Earle running a superb trailing line was judged forward.

The last ten minutes, played almost entirely inside the Gorey tenmetre line was nervewracking. With tired legs, many Community School players only 48 hours after the effort of lifting the Mcmullen Cup, Gorey had to dig deep.
Dominic Surace's second strike against the head came with Wicklow in a dream position, five metres out and just to the left of the posts, and Gorey were once again able to clear their lines.

It typified the resilience that won them the day. But this Gorey team remain under no illusions about work to be done if they are to defeat Enniscorthy in the Leinster league semi-final.

Gorey: Stephen Hughes, Stephen Scallan, Clement Power, Seán Byrne, Seán Carty, Stephen Duke (capt.), Robert Harrington, James Sinnott, Dominic Surace, Richard Deering, Dean Redmond, Stephen Gardiner, Conor Hatton, Eddie Earle, William O Morchoe. Subs. - Andrew Walsh, Jordan Aherne, Joe Burns, Daniel O'loughlin.