Ciaran Hearn’s game has been solid throughout the 2011 CDI Premier League rugby season and on Saturday (May 7) the New Foundlander was at his best.
Hearn converted two trys, two penalty conversions and scored one try himself, accounting for 15 of the Castaway-Wanderers’ 20 points as they defeated the Meraloma Athletic Club 20-3 for the B.C. championship Rounsefell Cup.
The match was held at the foot of the North Shore mountains in the sunken bowl of Capilano RFC’s Klahanie Park. Rain poured heavy throughout much of the 80-minute contest.
Paul Buckley scored the only other try for CW. Bryan Tyrer kicked a three-point penalty, the ’Lomas only score of the game.
Hearn, from Conception Bay, Nfld., playing fullback, continued his marvellous season that included a 50-yard penalty against James Bay at MacDonald Park on April 9, which helped CW clinch first place.
He received due credit from coach Ian Hyde-Lay for his effort in Saturday’s title win.
“Obviously a big part of today’s win was Ciaran Hearn, an accomplished national team player. We expect him to step up in games like this and he performed well today.”
The win avenged CW’s only loss this winter season, coming to Meraloma at Windsor Park, 13-12 on March 12.
“Defensively we have worked hard all year and that has been a key part of our success,” Hyde-Lay said. “We have had some key veteran leadership during the season that got us here and it’s been a real team effort.”
CW is the first team other than James Bay or UVic to win the trophy since 2002, the last time CW won it.
Bays in Ceili’s final
Burnaby Lake RFC edged James Bay AA in the Ceili’s Cup (men’s first division) championship final 10-8.
James Bay wasn’t the dominant force it has been at the premier level this season but the club showed both its depth and future are still strong.
The Bays held an 8-3 lead heading into the final minutes on a try from Jim De Goede and a penalty from Kyle Laberge.
As the clock approached 80 minutes, Burnaby’s Brad McHugh barrelled through a line of defenders for a try and Nolan Shelley converted to give Burnaby the 10-8 victory.
The loss denied James Bay its third straight provincial championship at the first division level.
Valkyries slip on final play
The rise of the Velox Valkyries came to a halt in the final play of the Harris Memorial Cup Final. The first of the three championship games played at Klahanie Park on Saturday, Velox lost 17-13 to Burnaby Lake.
Burnaby went undefeated and finished first in the Adidas women’s premiership but it took an interception by Melissa Miyazaki in the final minute to lift Burnbay past the third-seeded Valkyries.
Burnaby did have the halftime lead, 10-3, on tries by Lindsay Bernrot and Maria Gallo, who plays for Team Canada. The second half was a much tighter affair. Velox’s Jane Cruttenden added a try, conversion and a penalty to her first-half penalty to put her team up 13-10 until the fatal play by Miyazaki. The provincial title was Burnaby’s first since 2009.
The Velox Valhallians top men’s side also saw their season come to an end. Velox lost in the Okanagan Spring Brewery League men’s first division playoffs to Capilano on Saturday, 43-17.