Ballynahinch RFC Firsts keep play off hopes alive aftyer win over Lansdowne
AIL League,
Venue: Ballymacarn Park, 23rd March 2024,
James Kirk reports,
Final Score: Ballynahinch 10 Lansdowne 5.
Ballynahinch kept their play-off hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over Lansdowne in wet and windy conditions more akin to early January than late March.
Adam Craig had his preparation disrupted by the withdrawal of Ulster prop James French on Friday night and then thrown into disarray when replacement prop John Dickson went down in the warm-up with a nasty hand injury.
George Saunderson had been promised limited time off the bench after a long injury layoff but to his credit stepped up to start.
Jack Milligan was back at outhalf and Conor Rankin completed a remarkable return from a serious shoulder injury to start at fullback.
Playing away from the clubhouse into the wind Ballynahinch had a clear advantage at the scrum and carried with more intent but defences were on top and the game remained scoreless until the end of the first quarter.
At this point the home side gave away a soft penalty at the breakdown allowing Lansdowne to kick for territory and after winning the line-out a clever kick down the short side caught the Ballynahinch cover flat footed and winger Cathal Eddy took advantage of a perfect bounce to score.
As the half reached its conclusion, Ballynahinch fought their way into the Lansdowne 22 and went through the phases. Bradley Luney eventually forced his way over at the posts and Rankin’s conversion gave his side the lead at halftime.
Given the conditions and disruption the Ballynahinch management team and supporters were in high spirits as the teams turned around with the wind.
Lansdowne had clearly not read the script and spent the first ten minutes of the second half dominating possession and territory, visibly upping the tempo.
A couple of line breaks threatened to turn the game in their favour but the home defence held firm and threatened the Lansdowne line behind a dominant maul.
A rare lineout misfire let the Dubliners off the hook but the home side coped better with the tricky conditions and were able to string together much longer attacking sets as the half wore on.
Lansdowne defended superbly, repelling another close range maul and forcing vital turnovers to relieve pressure.
However, they struggled to get out of their own half when in possession and when the excellent Reuben Crothers forced a turnover late in the game up stepped Rankin to seal the win with a well-struck penalty and creep three points closer to their opponents in the table.
A trip to Cork Con awaits over Easter weekend and all Ballynahinch can do is keep winning and hope Ulster rivals City of Armagh can do them a favour by beating Lansdowne at the Aviva Stadium.
All support welcome in Cork. Ballynahinch 1-21: John Dickson, Claytan Milligan, Kyle McCall, Declan Horrox, Bradley Luney, Reuben Crothers, Zack McCall, Greg Jones, Conor McKee, Jack Milligan, Ethan Graham, Mark Best, George Pringle, Aaron Sexton, Conor Rankin, Josh Hanlon, George Saunderson, Callum Irvine, Chris Gibson, Ben Carson, Paul Kerr.
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Ballynahinch RFC Round-Up For 23rd March 2024
Club Notes
The Academy Cup Final between Ballynahinch and Portadown takes place at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday 30th at 12pm. All support welcome and tickets must be purchased online.
The 2nds and 4ths were crowned League champions on Saturday and 4ths captain Mike Evans will be hoping to clinch the double when his team take on Ballymena 3rds in the Forster Cup Final at Kingspan Stadium on April 20th.
The 5ths will hope to clinch league honours prior to their McCambley Cup Final on the same day.
The Club/School window is open. Contact Clifton Quinn for details.
Pre-match lunches for the rest of the season are now SOLD OUT.
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 David Martin – Mini Convenor on 07837944892 or email:
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Results 23rd March 2024
Ballynahinch 10 Lansdowne 5 (AIL Division 1A)
Omagh 2 7 Ballynahinch 2 57 (2nd XV League)
Ballynahinch 3 38 Grosvenor 2 14 (Provincial Prem 1)
CIYMS 2 0 Ballynahinch 4 19 (Provincial East 1)
Fixtures 30th March 2024
Cork Con vs Ballynahinch (AIL Division 1A)
Ballynahinch vs Portadown (Academy Cup Final) 12pm Kingspan
Instonians 4 vs Ballynahinch 5 (Regional South 1) Tuesday 7.45pm
Ballyclare 5 vs Ballynahinch 6 (Regional Midweek League) Wednesday 7.45pm
