Mallow continued their rich vein of form last weekend with a victory over Old Crescent in the Munster Junior Cup. The Limerick side travelled to a wet Parkadallane looking to progress to the next round of this particular knock-out competition. The home side were short numerous front-line players to injury, rest and work commitments but yet still fielded a very strong XV. This fixture presented Mallow with the opportunity to blood some up and coming quality young players while also bedding in guys coming back from long spells out. With this being their 3rd weekend on the bounce, Mallow were intent on not letting anything come in the way of their 100% home record.

As a bitterly cold rain shower lashed up the field for 15 minutes of the first half, it made for very challenging conditions, particularly for the brand of rugby both sides were keen on playing. It was Mallow who got off the mark first however with an early penalty from the boot of Dave Breen to settle the nerves. Old Crescent, playing up the hill, responded well and sought to gain territory with a favourable breeze behind them. Mallow were equal to their efforts though and kicked well, while also running the ball back when opportunities presented themselves. With a giant first centre crashing up the middle again and again, the North Cork side were kept busy trying to man-handle him to the ground. Eventually, the home side conceded to relentless pressure from Old Crescent. Phase after phase of excellent defensive shifts saw Mallow numbers down out wide and excellent hands from their backs saw the visitors score a try in the corner. Shortly afterwards, they missed the opportunity to increase their lead with a straight forward penalty.

Half time arrived with Old Crescent holding a slender 5-3 lead as the Mallow Under 11's entertained the crowd with a small-sided match of their own during the break. As the sun broke through for spells in the second half, it was Mallow who found themselves on the back foot during the opening exchanges. A huge defensive effort and trojan tackling saw the home side exit without their try line being breached. Breen tagged on another pressure penalty to put Mallow into a 6-5 lead with 25 minutes of play remaining. On the hour mark, an Old Crescent clearing box kick was collected by Peter Cosgrove. As he caught the kick, he was high-tackled with force and very dangerously. This brought about a physical reaction from the home side, leading to a melee which spilled over the sideline. Yellow cards were issued to Jimmy Glynn as well as the Old Crescent winger who's tackle led to Cosgrove going off injured. The strong home bench of Timmy Fitzgerald, Eoin Buckley, Ronan Sheehan, Ronan McCarthy and Mike Sweeney entered the fray shortly afterwards and their fresh legs helped to quash any Old Crescent attack. A further sin-bin was issued to Brian Ward during the closing stages of the game.

The game finished 6-5 in favour of the home side and they now progress to the next round where they travel to Muskerry this coming Sunday at 2pm. Despite the elements, including the U13's and the U11's, there was a great crowd in attendance to witness this game and while Mallow failed to score a try, it was a fascinating encounter.