Skins proceed through Junior Cup RD2

Enniskillen v CIYMS
CIYMS 1XV 13
Enniskillen 1XV 18

Enniskillen progressed into the next round of the Junior Cup last weekend with a win over CIYMS in Belfast. Skins still hold the Junior Cup after winning it for the first time in history back in January 2020, the competition having been abandoned last season.
The game started well for Enniskillen with progressive carrying from the forwards and Matthew Graham particularly making good ground in midfield. The home side’s discipline creaked under pressure and a kick from Lendrum had them down in the corner pressuring the line, only for the maul to be stopped short.
Good phases of attack continued from Enniskillen and eventually George Foster split the defence on the blind side and went through for a score, conversion unsuccessful to take the lead.
 The home side then had a rare spell in the Skins half and made good use of it to their credit, exploiting some slipped tackles and eventually a line break and two on one to go under the posts, leading 7-5. CI’s period of ascendency continued and the pressure yielded two penalty attempts before the break to go in leading 10-5, errors and ill discipline giving the home side a lifeline.
The second half started better and Skins led quite literally from the front, the front row carrying exceptionally through Warrington and Fox, gaining an early penalty to trail 10-8. Soon Skins were back on the CI line shortly afterwards with the pack putting together some excellent lines and handling, with prop Alan Ferguson crossing for a score under the posts, now leading 10-15. Skins were rampant now and soon another penalty came their way to lead 10-18 through the boot of John Maguire.
It was to be a tense final quarter as CI camped in the Enniskillen half, but Skins showed their resiliency with 10 and 12 common Lendrum and Finlay leading the defence well to shut out the home side. Jack Rutledge went to the bin, bearing the ref’s contempt for repeated Skins infringements during the period of desperate defence. The dominant Skins scrum also helped take the momentum out of the home side and made it difficult to capitalise on this territory as the final whistle went for an Enniskillen victory, finishing 13-18.
As can be the case in Cup rugby, the game was often a dog fight, but Skins showed plenty of grit to grind out this win against a mid-table side with home advantage in their favour. The 1st XV return to Belfast this weekend to take on Cooke, a side who sit just beneath them in the league standings; a win will see them sitting comfortably in the top four going into a well earned Christmas break.