AIL Division 1A,
Cork Constitution 51 Ballynahinch 21.
Ballynahinch travelled to Cork with a strong side and were confident that they could take something from the game after two very tight contests against the champions last season writes James Kirk.
Mark Best and George Pringle returned to the midfield while Conor McKee, Zack McCall and Aaron Sexton all returned to the starting lineup in a side full of pace.
They flew out of the blocks, scoring tries through Kyle McCall and Sexton to take a fourteen point lead after just five minutes.
This was to be the high point of the afternoon as a yellow card for a high tackle allowed Con back into the game with an unconverted try.
The hosts scored again to close the gap but Ballynahinch were more than holding their own as the game headed towards half time when another yellow card proved decisive.
Con scored twice before the break to lead by ten points and the game was effectively over after the first minute of the second half when the home side pounced on a loose ball from a Ballynahinch attacking lineout and scored from long distance.
Ballynahinch were reduced to chasing the game and fell further behind before a try from captain Bradley Luney gave them the prospect of a bonus point.
However Con turned to their maul to close the game down and eased to a comfortable victory with a further two tries, breaking fifty points along the way.
A seven try defeat away from home doesn’t make very pleasant reading for coaches and supporters but disguises the very real worry that Con displayed after the rapid start from Ballynahinch.
The locals fell foul of the referee and the yellow cards cost them four tries.
They also had what seemed like two excellent scores disallowed, adding to their frustration as the game got away from them.
Travelling away from home and getting on the wrong side of the officials is nothing new and management and squad will hope to put this behind them and limit the damage a little better in future.
This was a very strong Ballynahinch side which will give teams a lot of problems this season and they showed that in spades during the opening salvo on Saturday.
St.Mary’s are the vistors this weekend as the AIL juggernaut rolls on.
Ballynahinch 1-22: John Dickson Jnr, Claytan Milligan, Kyle McCall, Kyle Gill, Declan Horrox, Marcus Rea, Zack McCall, Bradley Luney (capt), Conor McKee, Paul Kerr, Ethan Graham, Mark Best, George Pringle, Aaron Sexton, Conor Rankin, Matthew Burke, Tom McAllistair, Ryan Connolly, Peter Heasley, Rhuairi Meharg, Matthew Booth.
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Ballynahinch RFC Round-Up for 28 9 24
Club Notes
Ballynahinch lost out to a late Dungannon try in the opening match of the Women’s Premiership but acquitted themselves well with three debutants having their first experience of senior rugby.
The 2nds had a superb bonus point win at Instonians in the Junior Cup, scoring five tries to keep their chances of qualifying from the group stage alive.
The 3rds lost out to strong Dromore side but competed well while the 5ths travelled light to Monaghan and won well.
The U16s continued on their winning ways with a good victory over Portadown while the U18s had to cope with a couple of bad injuries during their loss to the same opponent.
The next AIL home fixture is October 5th vs St.Mary’s. Pre-match lunch seats can be booked via James Kirk on 07966143184.
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 hinchminis@gmail.com
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Results 28 9 2024.
Cork Con 51 Ballynahinch 21 (AIL Division 1A)
Ballynahinch 19 Dungannon 24 (Womens Premiership)
Instonians 2 19 Ballynahinch 2 35 (Junior Cup)
Ballynahinch 3 22 Dromore 2 33 (Provincial Premier 1)
Monaghan 2 20 Ballynahinch 5 41 (Regional South)
Ballynahinch U18 10 Portadown U18 31
Ballynahinch U16 22 Portadown U16 5
Ballynahinch U14 w/o Portadown U14
Fixtures 05/10/2024
Ballynahinch vs St Mary’s (AIL Division 1A)
Harlequins vs Ballynahinch (Womens Premiership) Sun 2pm
Rainey 2 vs Ballynahinch 2 (2nd XV League)
Dungannon 2 vs Ballynahinch 3 (Provincial Premier 1)
Instonians 3 vs Ballynahinch 4 (Provincial South).
