Ballynahinch Firsts Suffer Defeat To Old Belvedere
The First XV were on the end of a heavy defeat in Dublin at the hands of Old Belvedere. Down by three scores after ten minutes, they were never in the game and despite two tries from Aaron Sexton they were held scoreless in the second half and conceded two late scores to ship 50 points and give themselves plenty of food for thought on the bus journey home.
They will hope to get something from the long trip to Young Munster this weekend before a welcome break in the league programme and an opportunity to reset.
Colin Donaldson reports on U18s
Ballymoney travelled to a sunny Ballymacarn Park for this clash of two unbeaten sides and were narrowly defeated in an excellent match played in good spirits.
The away side opened the scoring following an excellent turnover and a multiphase attack which saw them rumble over under the posts. Handling errors from both sides meant a stop start affair but there was no questioning the physical commitment from both sides.
As the game approached half time the home side came to life with a number of big carries from the forwards leading to a burst for the line from flanker Tiernan McCann. Unfortunately he knocked on as he stretched for the line and Ballymoney retained their lead at the break.
The opening period of the second half proved pivotal for the home side as they scored fifteen unanswered points. McCann was again the key as he pilfered Ballymoney ball and set off upfield only to be stopped just short of the line. Jack Fallon recycled the ball quickly for skipper Adam Blain to score and Ballynahinch were in the game.
Centre Sam Hoey then produced an excellent long clearance from the restart to give his side excellent field position and when Ballymoney attempted to run the ball out of defence McCann pounced to win a turnover penalty.
Callum McCargo scored from the tap penalty and when Joshua Woods added a penalty moments later it looked like the home side would push on for a comfortable victory.
To their credit Ballymoney gathered themselves for a big finish and camped deep in opposition territory for long periods. They were helped by some poor game management from Ballynahinch and capitalised on a succession of penalties to score from close range and set up a grandstand finish.
The home side hung on for a nervy win and take on Rainey at home this weekend as they seek to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. All support welcome.
Ballynahinch U18 15 Ballymoney U18 14
Peter Moore reports on U16s
Ballynahinch hit the ground running and scored an early try to set the tone for the half. Jake Marner then showed great power and pace to score straight from the restart and give his side a comfortable lead.
The away side then began to find their feet and produced some stout defence before home skipper Harry McFerran galvanised his side into a superb team try. Further scores followed including a fine individual effort from Mike Murray to take the home side out to a lead of 33-0 at the break.
The second half proved to be a different story and the away side added two quick scores to give themselves a chance of a comeback, However Ballynahinch gathered themselves and battled back into the match, conceding just one more try for a victory which proved to be less comfortable than the half time score suggested.
Max Bleakley provided the pick of the action with some great breaks and superb counter rucking while Josh Patterson showed excellent controlled aggression to secure clean ball at the breakdown.
There was also some fine link play from Adam McClenaghan, Harry Sawey and Joe Stevenson and an important try-saving tackle from Reuben Brown.
This young side continues to grow and they will take their unbeaten record to Bangor this weekend as they seek to finish the first block of fixtures at the top of the league table.
Final Score: Ballynahinch U16 33 Portadown/Lurgan U16 17
Ballynahinch RFC Round-up 03/10/2026
Club Notes
Ballynahinch had their first win of the season in the Women’s Championship, defeating Lisburn by 28 points to 19 at home. There were tries for Orla Morgan, Jane Jamison-Patton and a brace for powerhouse prop Niamh Gilgunn. The next fixture is away to Ophir on October 18th.
The Youth boys continued their 100% start to the season with a clean sweep of victories. The U18s narrowly defeated Ballymoney while the U16s had a comfortable win over Portadown/Lurgan and the U14s defeated Portadown.
Book your place at the next pre-match lunch on October 24th by contacting James Kirk on 07966143184.
Springbok World Cup winning lock Victor Matfield will be in town to speak at a business lunch on November 20th. Contact Chris Stevenson on 07872838411 for more details.
Youth Training continues on Mondays at 7pm for boys and Wednesdays at 7pm for girls. All players U12/U14/U16/U18 welcome and no experience necessary. Contact Johnny Cullen for details on 07595651901.
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 Sarah Samuel – Mini Convenor on 07540993223 or email:
