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By Ed Hagerty
Randalls Island, New York, NY - New England's Middlesex Barbarians and the MetNY-based Bayonne Bombers will contest for the Northeast DII club title Sunday after both clubs won semifinals Saturday.
Bayonne 44, Montauk 21
With its 44-21 semifinal win over Montauk (LI), a fitter, faster and more cohesive Bayonne (NJ) Rugby Club reached the Northeast RFU Division II Men’s final. Twenty four (24) of Bayonne’s 44 points were scored by its South African-born flyhalf Chris Arnold.
In a match where they led from the start and were rarely challenged, Bayonne opened with a try in the 5th minute by scrumhalf CJ Cortalano. Flyhalf Chris Arnold converted and then added penalty goals in the 14th and 23rd minutes, 13-0.
Arnold’s conversion of a try by lock Xavier Lozinquez in the 27th minute extended Bayonne’s lead to 20-0. Bayonne’s lead climbed to 27-0 in the 32nd minute when Arnold went 20 meters for a try in the corner and then slotted the difficult conversion.
Montauk finally got on the board two minutes into injury time when No. 8 Garth Wakeford touched down beside the posts and scrumhalf Andy Reilly converted, 27-7.
Second Half
Following the yellow carding of Bayonne’s hooker in the 13th minute, Montauk’s comeback continued. Flyhalf Steve Dewar scored four minutes later and Reilly converted, 27-14. The team from eastern Long Island closed to within six points when Montauk’s Dewar scored his second try, following a break by flanker Steve Finazzo, and Reilly converted, 27-21.
Alerted to the danger Montauk posed, Bayonne stepped up the pace, with prop Sean Lucak scoring a try from in close in the 26th minute. Arnold converted and then added a penalty goal five minutes later, 37-21.
Back in control, Bayonne got a try from reserve lock Paul Fitzgerald in the 38th minute, followed by Arnold’s fifth conversion, which brought the final score to 44-21.
Bayonne 44:
Tries: Cortalano, Lozinquez, Lucak, Fitzgerald, Arnold
Convs: Arnold 5
Pens: Arnold 3
Montauk 21:
Tries:Wakeford, Dewar 2
Convs: Reilly 3
Middlesex 47, Monmouth 15
Outscoring Monmouth (NJ) seven tries to two, Middlesex (MA) won its Northeast D2 Club semifinal 47-15.
Middlesex’s march to a 21-8 halftime lead began in the fifth minute with a penalty goal by flyhalf Jason Stefani, 3-0.
Wing Jared Landers went 40 meters for a try to up the Middlesex tally to 8-0 two minutes later. Prop Josh Skinner then scored the first of his two tries in the ninth minute, following a long break by Ryan Farries, 13-0
Wing Garret Mozolic got Monmouth on the board in the 23rd minute when he scored from the ten following a penalty against Middlesex, 13-5.
A long try by Landers in the 34th minute was answered three minutes later by a 30 meter penalty kick from Monmouth flyhalf and captain Joe Lucarelli, 18-8.
Jason Stefani’s second penalty kick in the 40th minute gave Middlesex a 21-8 halftime lead.
Second Half
Middlesex increased its lead three minutes after the restart when prop Josh Skinner scored his second try from in close following a penalty, 26-8.
Monmouth responded in the 14th minute with a try by scrumhalf Robert Morello, following a penalty at the five, that Joe Lucarelli converted, 26-15.
That, however, ended Monmouth’s scoring for the day.
Middlesex, on the other hand, was far from finished as they added tries by center John Meehan in the 22nd, No. 8 Mike Mahoney in the 26th and hooker Steve Rachal in the 35th minute. The first two tries were converted by Jason Stefani and the third by Dan Martin, bringing the final score to 47-15.
Middlesex 47:
Tries: Landers 2, Skinner 2, Meehan, Mahoney, Rachal
Convs: Stefani 2, Martin
Pens: Stefani 2
Monmouth 15:
Tries: Mozolic, Morello
Convs: Lucarelli
Pens: Lucarelli
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