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than Eoin expected. On Saturday morning he, Rory and Dylan got up early to join the rest of the Under 14s for the two-hour trip down the country. They were first on the coach and took the prime positions down the back. Eoin was tired and just wanted to doze off, but he was interrupted by Richie Duffy, shadowed as usual by his sidekicks Flanagan and Sugrue.
    ‘Ah, you’re back slumming it with us now, eh, Madden?’ Richie sneered. ‘Dropped off the JCT already.’
    ‘No, just back to show you how a real out-half plays,’Eoin shot back.
    Duffy’s face turned white. ‘But, but …’ he started, before walking up to the top of the bus where Mr Hoey was sitting alongside Mr Finn.
    ‘Who’s playing out-half today?’ Duffy asked the teacher.
    Mr Hoey looked up from his crossword and stared at the boy.
    ‘Well, for a start, you need to address me as “sir”, and then you need to say “excuse me”,’ the teacher replied. ‘Then you need to go back to your seat while the bus is in motion. I’ll be having a discussion with the captain, Charlie Johnston, before we arrive in Rostipp. You will be informed in due course.’
    Duffy walked back to his seat with his face like thunder. The rest of the team had heard Mr Hoey’s lecture and most of them were amused at Duffy’s discomfort.
    Charlie turned in his seat and caught Eoin’s eye at the back of the bus, and gave him an exaggerated wink.

Chapter 13
    . . . . . . . . .
    R OSTIPP was only a twenty-minute drive from Ormondstown so Eoin wasn’t surprised that his mum, dad and grandfather had come out to see him play. They had brought Dylan’s mum too, and his sister Caoimhe, who gave the boys a big wave as they trotted out onto the pitch in the green and white hoops of Castlerock.
    Eoin was selected to play at out-half, much to Richie Duffy’s disgust, and he settled into his favourite position without any fuss.
    Although both teams were just a year younger than the players he had been training with this year, they seemed so much smaller, and judging by the way they threw the ball around in the warm-up, less skilled. Eoin felt that he had moved up several steps on the rugby ladder.
    That wasn’t to say it was much easier – the big, bruising Savage brothers from his home town of Ormondstown made sure of that.
    ‘I hear you’re a bit of a rugby star up at Castlerock,’George said as the teams lined up for the kick-off.
    ‘Well, you’ll be seeing stars by the time we’re finished with you,’ added his brother Roger.
    Eoin laughed and hoofed the ball high into the air where it hung momentarily before Charlie Johnston caught it and the ruck formed around him.
    Castlerock were a bit of a shambles in the first half, but Eoin kept them in it with his kicking and they changed ends 10-6 down.
    ‘We need more ball in the backs, Madden,’ Duffy complained as they sucked their slices of orange.
    ‘OK, hold it there please,’ Mr Hoey chipped in. ‘I have a few plans of my own and I’ll be obliged if you listen to me instead.’
    Eoin listened to the coach, who had some good ideas on what needed to be done. As the players moved away to restart the half, Mr Hoey took Eoin aside.
    ‘Look, you’re our best player by far and you’re kicking well. But their backs look vulnerable so I’d like you to give ours a chance to expose them now and again.’
    Eoin nodded, realising that his dislike for Duffy might be clouding his judgement and preventing him from giving him the ball.
    He got a chance to atone early in the second half, but Duffy was too slow to the pass and knocked the ballforward.
    ‘Come on, Duffy!’ roared Charlie. ‘Keep your eye on what’s going on.’
    Duffy glowered at Eoin, who shrugged back at him.
    The next time Eoin had the ball in his hand he flung an inch-perfect pass to Duffy, but the inside-centre hesitated in deciding what to do next and was soon swarmed by the Rostipp forwards.
    Eoin put over a tricky penalty goal, but with less than five