Hinch Firsts ride out UCD pressure despite the visitors being under-strength
AIL,
Division 1A,
Final result: Ballynahinch 24 19 UCD.
Ten minutes into the second half of this sunlit contest versus an understrength UCD side struggling at the foot of the Division 1A table, leaders Ballynahinch looked to have shaken off a lethargic first half performance with a second maul try from hooker Claytan Milligan taking them into a two score lead writes James Kirk.
Ethan Graham scores the first Hinch try during the AIL RD 7 clash between Ballynahinch and UCD at Ballymacarn Park, Ballynahinch, County Down, Northern Ireland. Photo by John Dickson | Dicksondigital
A comfortable victory should have been inevitable but the reality was very different,
UCD completely dominated territory and possession for the final half hour of the match, scoring two tries to level the score as the game reached injury time.
Ballynahinch gave away a succession of penalties and managed to turnover the ball every time they had a chance to clear, putting themselves under needless pressure.
However, Hinch gathered themselves for a final assault and kept the ball alive just enough for Kelvin Hamilton and skipper Bradley Luney to put George Pringle into space down the touchline for the winning score.
It was hard on the students but the fact that the home team has enough quality to win despite a poor performance was not lost on the large crowd of supporters.
The first half was a fairly tepid affair with Ballynahinch failing to reach the heights of recent weeks and a succession of penalties and harsh yellow cards leading to stop-start match.
James Humphreys made his debut at outhalf amid four changes to the backline while John Dickson came in at tight head and Kyle Gill at lock forward.
Ethan Graham finished a fine team move to put his side ahead and the home side butchered a few chances, allowing UCD back into the match with a score of their own.
Milligan’s first maul try put his side ahead at the break and at that stage the high drama of the finish could not have been predicted.
A fifth bonus point win in a row has catapulted Ballynahinch four points clear at the top of Division 1A. Their nearest challengers Clontarf are up next at Ballymacarn Park on 7th December and there is a tough trip to Terenure the following week.
If they are still sitting on top of the pile after those fixtures then perhaps they can dare to dream.
Ballynahinch 1-21: Matthew Burke, Claytan Milligan, John Dickson Jnr, Will Hopes, Kyle Gill, Declan Horrox, Peter Heasley, Bradley Luney (Capt), Conor McKee, James Humphreys, Ethan Graham, Paul Kerr, George Pringle, Ben Moxham, Conor Rankin, Kelvin Hamilton, Callum Smyth, Tom McCallistair, Ryan Connolly, Ruaridh Meharg, Matthew Booth.
Matthew Booth is tackled by Tom Murtagh during the AIL RD 7 clash between Ballynahinch and UCD at Ballymacarn Park, Ballynahinch, County Down, Northern Ireland.(Photos by John Dickson | Dicksondigital ©).
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Ballynahinch U16s Salvage An Away Win Against Banbridge
Final Score: Banbridge U16 10 Ballynahinch U16 15.
Ballynahinch U16s will enjoy their week off as they sit top of the league after a tense victory at derby rivals Banbridge on Saturday writes Colin Donaldson.
Missing a few regulars they had to dig deep when their opponents took the lead late in the second half. However, powerhouse front-rower Thomas McPhillips ran a hard line on to a Joshua Woods offload to score the match winning try.
Outhalf Woods had put his side into an eight-point lead at half time with a penalty and a try from a well worked blindside move initiated by scrum half Ethan Donaldson.
The big Ballynahinch pack led by William Patterson and McPhillips had dominated but Banbridge had the conditions in their favour in the second half and scored a penalty and a converted try to take the lead before the dramatic final minutes salvaged a win for Ballynahinch.
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Ballynahinch RFC Round-up 16/11/2024
Club Notes
Ballynahinch suffered a heavy defeat to Malone in the Womens Premiership at Ballymacarn Park as they returned to league action but stayed competitive throughout and will be hoping for a better result on the road in Omagh this weekend.
Davy Harris was delighted to see his second XV complete a fine victory on the road with a six try demolition of Clogher Valley closing the gap to Armagh at the top of the table to just seven points with a game in hand.
Mike Evans and his band of brothers on the fourth XV continue to challenge for league honours and handed local rivals Banbridge a 68-7 hiding on Saturday, running in ten tries.
Youth results were mixed with a fine win for the U16s but heavy defeats for the U18s and U14s versus Banbridge.
The next AIL home fixture is December 7th vs Clontarf. The Pre-match lunch is sold out but seats can be booked for 2025 fixtures via James Kirk on 07966143184.
Other diary dates include Christmas Lunch on Sunday 8th December and Jumper Party on Saturday 21st December. See social media for 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 Clifton Quinn for details on 07501228045.
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 Kenny Morton – Mini Convenor on 07813157614 or email:
Results 16/11/2024
Ballynahinch 25 UCD 19 (AIL Division 1A)
Ballynahinch 0 Malone 0 (Womens Premiership)
Clogher Valley 2 17 Ballynahinch 2 40 (2nd XV League)
Ballynahinch 4 68 Banbridge 4 7 (Provincial South)
Banbridge U18 38 Ballynahinch U18 0
Banbridge U16 10 Ballynahinch U16 15
Banbridge U14 47 Ballynahinch U14 7.
