Last Saturday Lansdowne traveled to Manhattanville College for the spring opener. The game was played in 3 halves (thirds) so as to give all players as much playing time as possible.
Lansdowne started the game well with Pat Devery finding a hole in the defense. Carries by Mark Giordano and James Powell kept the momentum going. Some soft hands put Blake Mannion in the corner for the score. Lansdowne kept up the pressure early in the game with further scores from Marcus McAlinden, John McGuinness, and the highlight being a 1st Lansdowne try for Jarrett Murphy, created by some good running and selfless passing among the backline.
After unloading the bench at the half, Lansdowne initially struggled to break down the improved Manhattanville side. Some good carries by the forwards, including Danny Devlin, Scott Crofton and Thomas Murray, helped punish the Manhattanville defense. Their efforts were rewarded through scores by Man of the Match Chris O'Connor and an excellent solo effort by newcomer Matt Murray.
The final 3rd of the match saw more scores: this time by John McGuinness and Greg Alexander. Eoghan Gallagher and Mark Giordano were unlucky to get on the scoresheet after making good breaks. Good leadership was shown by halfbacks Paul Antezzo and Mark Giordano to control, and see out the game.
The match saw 3 players pull on the Lansdowne colors for the 1st time: Ciaran Byrne, Dave Levine and Matt Murray. All 3 made a positive impact on the game and demonstrated they will be valuable additions to the Club.
Lansdowne RFC would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Freddie "Piper" Ruskie upon his untimely passing. Freddy learned his rugby while playing at SUNY Pottsdam. He, along with fellow Long Island Mud Ducks, such as Rich Leary and Steve Frolich, joined Lansdowne while the Club was still in its infancy. Freddie and his fellow Long Islanders made a massive impact on the team both on and off the pitch. He is already missed by his former clubmates.
Lansdowne practices are held every Monday and Wednesday at 8:00 PM at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers. All interested players should just come on down or contact the Club at any of the following: website: www.lansdownerugbyclub.com, email: [email protected], or phone hotline: (914)584-4541.
Comments