Munster U16 Boys Land the Interpro Title

Munster U16 boys squad won the Interpro title on Sunday with a 3-2 win over Ulster. Munster stood top of the table by 1 point over Ulster going into the fixture knowing a result would give them their first u16 title since 2004.

Ulster started very strong and went into the lead early in the first quarter. Ulster went close again only for a goal to be disallowed. This seemed to kick the Munster side into gear and soon after they equalised through Antonius Buddenburg. With the momentum in their favour now Munster kicked on and took the lead before half-time. A swift counter attack found an unmarked Sean Landers in the D and he finished emphatically to make it 2-1 at the break.

Ulster came out on the front foot in the second half and equalised through a well worked penalty corner. This set up a grandstand finish with Munster knowing a draw would be enough to take the title. In the dying embers of the third quarter Munster launched another attack resulting in a penalty corner. After a re-award Munster captain Rob Olden stepped up to rifle home an unstoppable drag-flick.

As expected the last quarter was always going to be a tense affair but Munster’s resolute defense held strong to bring the Frank Green Memorial Interprovincial U16 Cup back to Munster for the first time in 18 years.

Munster’s under 21s pushed Ulster all the way but ended up losing 2-1 to the eventual Interpro winners. The under 18’s also lost to Ulster on a 3-1 scoreline with Leinster taking the U18 title.