Ballynahinch U16 64 Ophir U16 5
After a blistering start in the campaign against Newry last weekend, Roben Anderson and his U16’s were looking to make full use of home advantage against Ophir on Saturday morning.
It was not long before they had their first score with a great solo effort from Brendan McKenna who made a great run from just inside the Ophir half and placed the ball under the sticks, converting it himself.
This spurred the Ophir ball carriers into life as they peppered the Hinch defence with consistent line breaks. However, with some stout defending on hand from Anthony Donnelly and Logan Mallon, the opposition’s dominant spell never reached as far as the Hinch 22 before they were forced to give up possession. From this point on, it was one-way traffic as Hinch took control of the half.
With a quick ball at the breakdown coming from scrum-half, Tiernan Keating, smart play involving quick hands from Leon Orsi and Colin Creighton ensured the wings had a constant supply of scoring opportunities. This was followed with a quick succession of tries from Kobi Dunn, Liam Coote, Carter Bell and a terrific solo effort from Ryan Knox leaving five defenders in his wake.
As the first half came to an end, it was left to Mark McAleenan to make a quick dash down the opposite wing to score a superb try which Tiernan Keating duly converted.
The second half started as the first ended, with a try from the hands of Liam Coote. This was soon followed by a visit into the Hinch 22 by Ophir which paid some dividends as they left with five points. From the kick off, Hinch reverted back to form with constant waves of attack. This placed the opposition under huge strain, leading to a penalty.
From the resulting line out, quick hands once again found Brendan Mckenna who dived over the line for his second try. This was followed by a terrific spell of pressure from Ophir, who camped themselves inside the Hinch 22 for the following ten minutes. Play went from one side of the pitch to the other, with the big Ophir men banging on the door of the Hinch try line, but the Hinch defence stood firm as the opposition eventually spilled, much to the relief of the home team.
Dunn continued his impressive season with another score and there was time for one more try from Luke Braithwaite which was duly converted from the touch line by Leon Orsi. Tougher tests may lie ahead for this impressive U16’s team but this was another good day at the office and with key players missing the wider squad proved more than capable.
Final score 64-5.
