UCD wins Newtownards Cup Final as lacrosse returns to Newtownards after more than 100 year hiatus!

25 November 2013

In the shadow of the famous ‘Scrabo Tower’ the final Gameday of the Newtownards Cup took place in Newtownards on Saturday, 23rd November 2013.  The Newtownards Cup itself is named out of recognition of the fact that it was the first town in Ireland to establish a lacrosse team back in 1872.  After a more than 100 year hiatus, lacrosse returned to the town, which played host to a pulsating finale to the competition!

The day began with the third placed match between the Galway Bay Prawns and the UCD White team.  While the action was end-to-end, the scoreline was more one-sided, with the Prawns bagging the spoils with a 13-2 victory.  Martin ‘Bonagee’ Scanlon was the standout performer for the Prawns, notching 5 goals and 2 assists, while for the UCD team the goals came from Robbie O’Connor and Matthew Dancel, assisted by Cian Rushe and Jan Boruta respectively.

Box Score: Final Score: Galway Bay Prawns 13 – 2 UCD White

Prawns: Martin Scanlon 5G, 2A; Richard Blanc 4G, 1A; Paul Murran 2G, 2A; Ryan Doran 1G; Seamus Keegan 1G; Dan Hynes 1A

UCD White: Robbie O’Connor 1G; Matthew Dancel 1G; Cian Rushe 1A; Jan Boruta 1A
The big final was then contested between the UCD Blue team and the Dublin Avengers.  The match was intense and highly competitive between these two great rivals, with the lead changing hands 5 times throughout the course of the match.  The Dublin Avengers were led by Captain Sean Gibson who finished the day with 6 goals and 1 assist and who spent the afternoon locked in a fierce battle with UCD Blue team player and Irish national team teammate Tadhg Bolger at the face-off.  University of Arizona study abroad student Levin Pellegrin had 4 goals, and local Newtownards lad Simon Daly pitched in with 2 goals and an assist.  On the winning score sheet, it was standout St. Mary’s University of Maryland study abroad students Will Lerch, Tim Perugini and Eric Simon that led the UCD charge, while Collin Brown was strong at the d-end alongside Eoin Parsons.

Box Score: Final Score: UCD Blue 15 – 13 Dublin Avengers

Avengers: Sean Gibson 6G, 1A; Levin Pellegrin 4G; Simon Daly 2G, 1A; Mike Kennedy 1G

UCD Blue: Will Lerch 7G; Eric Simon 4G, 2A; Andrew Murphy 1G; Ciaran Boylan 1G, 1A; Tim Perugini 1G, 1A, Tadhg Bolger 1G
Two great games, a hotly contested final, and the return of lacrosse to its spiritual homeland in Ireland in Newtownards – a great way to end 2013!  And a big thanks and congratulations to all the study abroad students who have played with us and are returning home for the second semester!

Newtownards Lacrosse Team (1893)

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