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For the second consecutive year, Balmy Beach have been crowned Ontario provincial champions, with the Beaches-based club defeating Toronto Scottish 27-15 to capture Ontario men’s rugby’s top prize – the McCormick Cup – in front of 1000+ rain-soaked spectators at Fletcher’s Fields (Markham, Ont.) on Saturday afternoon.
Overcoming adverse playing conditions that included periods of heavy downpours and blustery winds, top-seeded Balmy Beach used a three-try first-half performance to amass a 24-10 halftime lead, before stifling their opponents with strong defence to secure the provincial championship.
Similar to last year’s provincial final, it was the second-ranked Scottish who were the first team on the score sheet, with captain Dan Gordon notching a penalty kick five minutes into the match. However, the lead would be short-lived, as Balmy Beach responded two minutes later through centre Conor McCann, who touched down under the posts after receiving an athletic offload from wing Dan Moor.
Following a long spell of back-and-forth play, Balmy Beach added their second try just after the mid-way point of the opening half, with flanker Toni Wodzicki crashing over to complete a string of well-worked attacking phases.
McCann struck for a penalty at the half-hour mark, shortly before number eight Mark MacSween barreled across the whitewash to put Balmy Beach ahead by 21 points.
Down but not out, Toronto Scottish’s Andrew Denham gave his side a spark heading into the interval, with the fullback tumbling through two would-be tacklers to touch down just before the halftime whistle.
Galvanized by the late first-half offensive spurt, the Scottish came roaring out of the restart to control possession throughout the opening stages of the second frame, and were rewarded through another Denham try. However, with conditions worsening as the match progressed, Denham’s second tally was as close as Toronto Scottish would get to overcoming the reigning title-holders.
With the pace of the match slowing and the ball becoming increasingly difficult to handle, McCann hit for his second penalty of the match at the hour mark, pushing his side ahead by 12 points.
Balmy Beach kept the ball and their cool in the closing stages, allowing their opponents very little possession en route to securing the 27-15 victory.
With the McCormick Cup set to spend another year in East Toronto, this year’s provincial championship victory marks the club’s third title in the past five years, and their 15th provincial title to date.
“Lifting the McCormick Cup in back-to-back seasons is an incredible achievement for our club, and a testament to just how hard we’ve worked to get back to this stage,” said Balmy Beach captain Haydn Gage. “This trophy is the pinnacle of men’s rugby in Ontario, and to see the words ‘Balmy Beach’ etched in the McCormick Cup three of the last five years shows what our club has built in this time. I couldn’t be more proud of the Beach.”
Balmy Beach’s road to the McCormick Cup Final began in late September with opening-round wins over Marshall Championship division side Sarnia Saints (50-26) and Eastern Ontario league champions Bytown Blues (72-10). The title holders’ third round featured a comfortable victory over the Premiership’s fifth-place finisher, Crusaders (40-12), setting up a rematch of last year’s McCormick Cup Final.
“For the second year in a row, Toronto Scottish made us give everything in order to win the Cup, and it was a very tough final,” said Balmy Beach head coach Bruce Gage. “After winning the league title, and now the Cup title, it’s been a very successful season for our club, and our players and staff have a lot to be proud of. That said, the work doesn’t stop. We always keep an eye on the future, and with strong junior and academy programs, our club is well-positioned to continue developing standout players for what I hope will be many, many years.”
The 2015 McCormick Cup Final was also a milestone event for reasons beyond the efforts of players on the pitch: with Karen Lozada (Mount Forest, Ont.) serving as referee for the McCormick Cup Final, it marked the first time in the provincial championship’s 66-year history that a female match official held that position.
BALMY BEACH 27
Tries – C. McCann (7), T. Wodzicki (23), M. MacSween (35)
Cons – C. McCann 3 (8, 24, 36)
Pens – C. McCann 2 (30, 61)
TORONTO SCOTTISH 15
Tries – A. Denham 2 (39)
Cons – D. Gordon (5)
Pens – D. Gordon (40)
BALMY BEACH
1. Chris Hewitt 2. Jon Mackie 3. Chris Sopik 4. Hank McQueen 5. Johnny Heron 6. Haddon Murray 7. Toni Wodzicki 8. Mark MacSween 9. Brendan Douros 10. Haydn Gage (capt.) 11. Dan Moor 12. Matt Mufandaedza 13. Conor McCann 14. Colin Alexander 15. Dave Worsley
16. Ben Harmer 17. James Roseborough 18. Scott Dunham 19. Damian Leonard 20. Rob Falls 21. Tyler Allen 22. Kieran O’Donnell
TORONTO SCOTTISH
1. Duncan McIlroy 2. Andrew Swales 3. Creag Johnston 4. Caleb Remington 5. Peter Wilson 6. Pat Richardson 7. Ben Johnstone 8. Tim Richardson 9. Dan Visentin 10. Dan Gordon (capt.) 11. Steven Hamilton 12. Rahim Dharamsi 13. Brandon Kostyk 14. Josh Reznick 15. Andrew Denham
16. Adam Alaica 17. Matt Wolfe 18. Brett Taggart 19. Tony Pringle 20. Steven Pittelli 21. Enoch Wamalwa 22. Mark Ince 23. Chris Miller
Match report courtesy Brock Smith and Rugby Ontario
