Towns Cup.
James Kirk reports.
Ballynahinch 2s 7 Ballymena 2s 6.
Ballynahinch 2nd XV took centre stage on Saturday as the annual quest to add another Towns Cup success continued at a wet and windy Ballymacarn Park.
Having negotiated a comfortable win over derby rivals Banbridge in the first round, Davy Harris was hoping for a similarly smooth passage into the quarter finals against another 2nd XV side but was aware that old foes Ballymena would prove a significant threat with their firsts having no fixture.
He was boosted by the availability of James McBriar at outhalf and with Callum McLaughlin a reassuring presence alongside Eamon McAnulty in midfield the backs had a solid look. Keith Dickson was the only regular starting forward missing but Andrew Foster was a more than able replacement in the back row.
Spectators hoping for a flowing game of rugby were to be disappointed but there was much to admire as the game swiftly became an old-fashioned arm wrestle in difficult conditions. Ballymena had the wind in the first half and used it well, kicking two penalties to take a six point lead. Ballynahinch defended superbly to keep Ballymena out and retained the ball well in possession.
They were denied a try towards the end of the half when the referee judged that Ballymena had touched the ball down in goal before the onrushing Ballynahinch attacker but despite this the players and coaches were relatively satisfied that there would be plenty of chances in the second half with the wind at their backs.
When full back Shane Ball scored and converted a try after 55 mins following complete domination of possession and territory and with Ballymena on a yellow card due to a rising penalty count everyone present assumed that the game would end in a relatively comfortable win for the home side.
However, despite continuing to dominate the ball and camp in the Ballymena half, no further points were to come and a nervy 7-6 scoreline left Ballynahinch vulnerable to a breakaway score despite their domination.
Ballynahinch had too many experienced heads on the field to allow this to happen and the massive defensive shift from Ballymena blunted their ability to take the game to the hosts so the score remained 7-6 and the seconds are safely into the hat for the quarter-final draw. Davy Harris and his charges can be sure no team will relish a trip to Ballymacarn Park.
Ballynahinch 1-17: Ben Cullen, Conor Piper, Harry McCormick, Matthew Connolly, Tom Martin, Andrew Foster, Stephen Campbell, Gareth Gill, Chris Gibson, James McBriar, Marcus Heath, Eamon McAnulty, Callum McLaughlin, Connor Phillips, Shane Ball, Mathew Cooper, Kyle Gill.
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Armagh U14 22 Ballynahinch U14 38.
U14 Cup.
Colin Donaldson reports.
Ballynahinch were back in action on Saturday following their disappointing League Playoff Final defeat to Lurgan and faced a difficult trip to Armagh in the Cup. They settled early and forward domination allowed Ruari Lester to find James Graham who punched a hole in the Armagh backline before offloading to Harvey Campbell for an excellent score.
The confidence that had been missing against Lurgan visibly returned and Ballynahinch turned up the heat on the Armagh forwards. A great scrum against the head eventually saw Callum McCargo crash over after a Campbell offload. The hard carrying lock then scored his second, picking a great line to take an excellent Ethan Donaldson pass and score in the corner after Sam Hamilton was tackled just short.
Armagh showed they wouldn’t be overwhelmed as they profited from a couple of missed tackles to score under the posts and give themselves a platform in the game as the teams turned around for the second half.
Ballynahinch quickly closed the door on an Armagh comeback as Tiernan McCann used his pace to find a massive gap before passing to Campbell for his second score. Adam Blain then profited from superb quick ball from halfbacks Donaldson and Lester to blast through the Armagh defence on a flat line and score under the posts. Moments later Campbell completed his hat trick after great breakdown work from Blain and a typically robust Luke McIlwaine charge for the line.
The score at this point was 38-7 to the visiting side and they took the opportunity to make wholesale changes, allowing the bench some much-needed game time. Armagh came back with a flurry of late scores but Ballynahinch ended up comfortable winners and face Rainey at home in the quarter-final on 26th February. All support welcome.
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Ballynahinch RFC Round-Up for 12th February 2022.
Club Notes
The 1st Xv are back in AIL action this weekend after a much needed fortnight off. They travel to UCC for a crucial relegation battle. Adam Craig will be hoping for good news on the injury front as he prepares the squad for a crucial block of fixtures.
There is a massive weekend of Cup rugby ahead for the lower teams with Crawford Cup, Forster Plate and McCambley Cup ties all taking place. All support welcome.
Youth Training continues at 7pm on a Monday night. All players U12/U14/U16/U18 welcome and no experience necessary. Contact Michael Preston for details on 07702050192.
Mini rugby continues on Saturday mornings from 9.30-11am. Boys and girls from P1 – Yr8 are all welcome, with training run for each age group in their school year. Mini rugby news is posted weekly on the club Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/ballynahinchrfcofficial.
For more details contact David Martin – Mini Convenor on 07837944892 or email hinchminis@gmail.com.
Details of how to purchase a full selection of Hinch merchandise can be found on our social media outlets and on the club app.
AIL pre-match lunches are back in full swing with UCD the visitors on February 26th 2022. Contact James Shaw 07740308051, Erin Hodgen 07540706564 or David George 07951610151
Results 12/02/2022
Ballynahinch 2 7 Ballymena 2 6 (Towns Cup)
Armagh U14 22 Ballynahinch U14 38
Lurgan U14 17 (U14 Cup)
Fixtures 19/02/2022
UCC vs Ballynahinch (AIL Division 1A)
Ballynahinch 2 vs Ballymena 2 (2nd XV Premiership)
Ballynahinch 3 vs Enniskillen 2 (Crawford Cup)
Ballynahinch 4 vs Randalstown 2 (Forster Plate)
Portadown 3 vs Ballynahinch 5 (McCambley Cup)
Virginia U18 vs Ballynahinch U18 (U18 Cup).
