Skins U16s end season on a high with Shield Final triumph

Enniskillen 29 Ballymena/Cooke 5

Enniskillen came out on top in this year’s U16 Shield Final with a 29-5 win over Ballymena/Cooke.

Skins made a bright start with the wind in the first half as captain Orlaith Maguire and Ellie Gordon threatened with a lot of intelligent attacking play.

They opened their account for the afternoon shortly into the game when Julia Mulligan and Karla Crozier combined to set off Ruby Moore who broke through and grabbed the first try.

Mulligan added a second try shortly after when she pierced a hole in the Ballymena/Cooke defensive line and ran from her half to touch the ball down with Eve Balfour kicking the conversion.

Ruby Moore made a swashbuckling run to evade two challenges and run over the try line for a third which was converted by Alice Seaney.

Moore completed her hat-trick before halftime but there was still time for Ellie Gordon to get in on the action as she added another just before the break as Skins took a 29-0 advantage at the break.

The Enniskillen side had to play against the wind in the second half making it all the more challenging with their counterparts pushing for a way back into the final.

Emma Fawcett and Mollie Magee stood out with strong defensive performances, however, Ballymena/Cooke eventually broke the Skins' resistance with a try before the end, but any hopes of a comeback were gone at that stage as Enniskillen held on for a 29-5 win to lift the cup and end their season with some silverware in front of the travelling supporters.