Mullingar’s great tradition in Anderson cup continues with a performance full of heart and bravery to defeat Ardees 1st team in Ardee on Sunday and see them into the final against Naas. Shorn of their under 20’s the average age of Mullingar’s starting team was a sprightly 37. While there was no doubt about the sides experience most of the large partisan Ardee crowd on the touchline expected their much younger and supposedly fitter side to prevail.

Mullingar started the game very well and it didn’t take long for the Ardee pack to forget about the grey hair and wrinkles and realise they had a serious battle on their hands. Vinny Hewitt scored the first try of the day but the referee adjudged him to have been held up, a TMO would have allowed it. Mullingar maintained the pressure and from an Ardee scrum 5 yards from their own line following great pressure from the front row and a huge hit from Pete Gibson on the Ardee 8 forced a knock on which Jimmy Geoghan gratefully gathered to touch down. Alan Kelly, literally back from the dead, was pulling all the strings at out half and Mullingar will have kicked themselves at half time not to have put more points on the board. Just before half time Ardee made their only foray into the Mullingar half and kicked 3 points to bring the score to 7 points to 3 at half time. 

Crucially Ardee had the wind advantage in the second half and Mullingars bench options were almost exhausted so Mullingar had a long way to go. Again from the kickoff Mullingar tore into the Ardee pack. With the Ray Murphy and Shane Deering at 8 and 9 linking backs and forwards to great effect a number of well worked phases saw Adriel Farrell barge over in the corner for Mullingars second try which was brilliantly converted from way out left by Roger O’Callaghan. 14 points to 3 to Mullingar but Ardee were far from finished and with their coaches cry of “I can’t believe you’re letting these auld b**stards run rings around yez” they were about to have their best spell of the game. Running everything and tearing the Mullingar defence to Shreds Ardee scored 2 trys to nudge in front 15 points to 14. Worrying times and with Mullingar apparently dead on their feet few would have betted against Ardee kicking on. But the hearts were still beating and Mullingar regrouped, held the ball and rucked and mauled their way back into Ardee territory, Ray Murphy got over the line but again the ref said no….. Oh for a TMO!! Mullingar kept the pressure on and set up a great backline move though the suberb hands of Alan Kelly and Brian Murphy which led to David Scahill touching down in the corner. Better was to follow when Mullingar attacked again when another  backline move again via Kelly and Murphy left Andy Yeoman, brave by name and brave by nature who as coach was our last option on the bench, with space to race through and touchdown in the other corner and leave the Ardee crowd stunned. Ardee through the Kitchen sink at Mullingar for the final 10 minutes but could only get 3 more points for their efforts.

A huge performance for a Mullingar side that literally rolled back the years with every player playing their part and giving it everything. Aubrey Pearson, Craig Swanson and Darragh Clougher put in huge shifts in defence. Naas next in the final, bring it on!