SERIOUS INJURY CUTS SHORT OPHIR MATCH

A back injury to Ophir’s full back, Jamie Mawhinney immediately prompted the referee to call for medical assistance and abandon the game, with Monaghan well in the lead.

The Junior League encounter with Monaghan had been an uphill struggle for Ophir, supported by MCW Properties, right from the kick off. Playing against a strong wind, it took all of 25 minutes before the home team had possession of the ball in the Monaghan half of the pitch. By that time, Monaghan had racked up 16 points from three well struck penalties and a fine converted try, under the posts. Ophir’s excursion into Monaghan territory lasted all of 2 minutes; then the ball was swept upfield by the visiting backs. A chip ahead saw a race for the touchdown, but the Monaghan winger won the tussle just after the ball had crossed the dead ball line. Then Ophir back row, Brian Harper was yellow carded for handling the ball deliberately on the ground to stop a Monaghan turnover. From the resulting penalty, Monaghan’s strong back line broke through the Ophir tackles to score with relative ease. The successful conversion put Monaghan 26 points in the lead at half time.

Ophir fared much better in the early stages of the second half, ably led by captain, John Condell, standing in for the injured Simon Bartholomew. They took possession to the Monaghan 5 metre line but the visitor’s defence, called on for almost the first time in the match, held firm. It was during a mighty struggle for the ball at close quarters that the unfortunate Jamie Mawhinney was caught in a doubled over position at the bottom of a ruck and clearly in dire trouble. The referee wisely called a halt to the action whilst medical aid was summoned and the teams left the pitch. The ambulance carted him off to hospital where a broken bone was diagnosed. However, there was some heartening news in that he was discharged to report to the fracture clinic later in the week. His team mates and indeed the Club wish him a speedy recovery.

Meanwhile, Ophir Firsts were hoping to regain some of their early season winning form, travelling to meet Strabane in the Qualifying League. The home encounter last year resulted in a narrow defeat for Strabane, but this time, in a highly intimidating atmosphere, Strabane prevailed 7 points to 3.

This Saturday, Ophir Firsts meet Holywood in a Qualifying League match. It is due to be Holywood’s home game, but as their previous encounter was switched to Kerr Park, due to ground conditions, it will be Ophir’s turn to host the match. The Club is hoping that the Cottonmount pitch will be in a good enough state for the game.