Energia AIL 1B Season Wrap.

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We continue our tidy up of the All Ireland Leagues with our wrap of AIL 1B which also ended in Week 14.

AIL 1B contains three Ulster sides in Banbridge RFC, City of Armagh RFC and Malone RFC, who all finished the season in tight formation in the middle of the table vying for a play of place.

2019-20 AIL 1B Final Standings (Season Ended Early)

Malone finished the season on a run of three wins and looked well set to consolidate a playoff place.

However, Banbridge were level on points and were scheduled to host Malone at Rifle Park on Week 16 and both sides faced tough run ins. Armagh, four points behind, looked to have the most promising run in and would be preparing to take advantage should either of the two teams above them slip up.

In reality, everyone down to Old Belvedere still had realistic hopes of a play off place though, in a remarkable first season in AIL 1B, Highfield looked to have automatic promotion wrapped up, sitting nine points clear with only two losses over the fourteen games.

Unfortunately for Navan, who came up from 2A alongside Highfield, they found life in 1B a touch more challenging. However, they’ll have another season to find their feet and I’m sure they are planning to be next season’s surprise package!

AIL 1B Leading Scorer.

The fourteen rounds saw a total of 2523 points scored with an average of 180 points per match weekend. The points came from 318 tries, 214 conversions (67% conversion rate), 158 penalties and 1 drop goal.

The highest scoring week was Week 2 which saw 231 points scored, including 31 tries.

The largest individual points haul in a single weekend came from Old Belvedere’s Steve Crosbie who notched up 24 points against Navan. The points came from 1 try, 2 conversions and 5 penalties.

Crosbie led the leading scorers table until dropping out around Week 11. Old Wesley’s Rory Stynes had been scoring regularly throughout the season and was best placed to push on and claim the 2020 AIL 1B Leading Points Scorer with 112 points from the fourteen games.

A try hungry Pa Ryan at Shannon set the tone early in the season, notching up 6 tries in his first six games.

Banbridge’s Peter Cromie applied the pressure, when Ryan went off the boil mid season, but the Shannon man hit back with a late rally and a brace in Week 13 saw Pa Ryan secure the AIL 1B Leading Try Scorer with 10 tries over the 14 games.

AIL 1B Team of the Season

We’ve referenced the teams by points difference, tries scored and try conversion rate in the graphics below.

Highfield and Shannon both topped 300 points for for the season, both teams scoring 41 tries over the 14 games. Shannon also had the league’s highest try conversion rate at 78%.

Old Wesley had the league’s tightest defence conceding 198 points, three less than league leaders Highfield.

From the clubs that we covered regularly, I had a lot of time for City of Armagh, and the remarkable job that Willie Faloon is doing at that club but there was really only one contender for the AIL 1B Team of the Season and that is Highfield.

Highfield

The Cork side battled it out with Old Wesley at the start of the season as both teams went on a seven game winning run. Old Wesley took the honours when they met in Week 8 but the Dublin side then went on a run of four defeats.

Highfield showed their mettle and went on to record only one more loss in the remaining six games to pull nine points clear by the time the season came to it’s abrupt end.

They did it in style leading the points scored table with an average of three tries per game in a remarkable first season in AIL 1B.

Details of their scorers below.

HIGHFIELDTCPDGTOT
Shane O’Riordan126141102
Colin O’Neill700035
Ben Murphy600030
Match Awarded000028
Penalty Try330021
James Cronin300015
Mark Dorgan300015
Miah Cronin300015
Sam Burns300015
Dan Healy200010
Kevin Slater200010
Luke Kingston200010
Eoin Keating10005
Fintan O’Sullivan10005
Michael Shinkwin10005
Paddy Ryan10005
Paul Stack10005
Tim Ryan10005
TOTAL4129141336

You can view the rest of the teams stats in the dropdowns below.

BANBRIDGETCPDGTot
Adam Doherty1139058
Peter Cromie900045
Bruce Houston0122030
Andrew Morrison300015
Greg Jones300015
John Porter300015
Michael Cromie300015
Neil Kilpatrick300015
Ryan Hughes300015
Hugo Harbinson200010
Stevie Irvine200010
Penalty Try11007
Callum Reid10005
Jonny Stewart10005
Max Lyttle10005
Stuart Cromie10005
Aaron Kennedy02004
TOTAL3728110274
CITY OF ARMAGHTCPDGTot
Cormac Fox11617088
Shea O’Brien700035
Andrew Willis600030
Andrew Smyth300015
Robert Whitten300015
Penalty Try220014
Neil Falloon200010
Josh Morton10005
Joshua McKinley10005
Paul Mullan10005
Peter Lamb10005
Tim McNiece10005
TOTAL2918170232
MALONETCPDGTot
Jack Milligan0148052
Callum Smith285041
Peter Cooper500025
Stuart Moore400020
Angus Kernohan300015
Dave Cave300015
Matthew Dalton300015
Ben McCaughey210012
Connor Spence102011
Angus Curtis200010
Joe Dunleavy200010
Lewis Finlay200010
Ross Todd200010
Azur Allison10005
Clayton Milligan10005
James McAlister10005
Johnny Milliken10005
Scott Finlay10005
TOTAL3623150271
NAASTCPDGTot
Peter Osborne31511078
Fionn Higgins600030
Eoin Walsh400020
Craig Adams300015
Matt Stapleton300015
David Benn200010
Niall Delahunt200010
Bryan Croke12009
Mark Sutton01208
Conor Doyle10005
James Hawkey10005
Johnny Holmes10005
Paul Monaghan10005
Ryan Casey10005
TOTAL2918130220
NAVANTCPDGTot
Colm O’Reilly067033
Riaan vd Vyer400020
Bryan McKeever300015
Evan Dixon200010
Kyle Dixon200010
Shane Faulkener200010
Penalty Try11007
Christian Byrne10005
Colm Carpenter10005
Darragh Magee10005
Shane Faulkner10005
Ray Moloney02004
Cono Hand10005
Ruairidh Swan00103
TOTAL19980137
OLD BELVEDERETCPDGTot
Steve Crosbie21316084
Jack Keating600030
Jack Kelly500025
James McKeown400020
John McKee300015
Tommy Whittle023013
Justin Leonard121012
Marcus Walsh200010
Ryan McMahon200010
Tom Moloney10108
Penalty Try11007
Ariel Robles10005
Connor Owende10005
David St Ledger10005
James Bollard10005
Peter McCague10005
TOTAL3218210259
OLD WESLEYTCPDGTot
Rory Stynes218220112
Ben Burns500025
Penalty Try330021
Tommy O’Callaghan400020
David Poff300015
James O’Donovan300015
Josh Pim300015
Conor Barry200010
Tom Kiersey200010
Josh Miller03109
Craig Miller10005
Ed O’Keefe10005
Paul Derham10005
Richie Walsh10005
Stephen Boyle10005
TOTAL3224230277
SHANNONTCPDGTot
Pa Ryan1000050
Ben Daly1143042
Billy Gray096036
Jamie McGarry600030
Eathon Maloney400020
Ikem Ugweru300015
Kelvin Brown300015
Penalty Try220014
Jake Flannery041011
Conor Glynn200010
Nathan Randles200010
John Bateman03109
Adam Moloney10005
Colin Slater10005
Daragh Oxley10005
Lee Nicholas10005
Nathan Randles10005
Ronan Coffey10005
Thomas Ahearn10005
Will Leonard10005
TOTAL4132110302
ST MARYS COLLEGETCPDGTot
Ruairi Shields0418062
Mick O’Gara067033
Hugo Conway600030
Penalty Try330021
Craig Kennedy320019
Michael McCormack200010
Cillian Dempsey10005
Jack Dilger10005
Mark Fogarty10005
Myles Carey10005
Nick McCarthy10005
Patrick O’Driscoll10005
Richard Halpin10005
Ryan O’Loughlin10005
TOTAL2215250215

The above figures have been compiled and checked throughout the season. However, should you be aware of any errors please contact us by leaving a message in the comments section below or alternatively drop us an email to john@thefrontrowunion.com


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