Final home game for the Ballynahinch Firsts sees victory over Old Belvedere
AIL Division One,
Venue: Ballymacarn Park, on 28 3 26,
Ballynahinch 38 Old Belvedere 12
Ballynahinch enjoyed an excellent victory over Old Belvedere in their final home fixture of the season writes James Kirk.
Captained by Reuben Crothers in the absence of the injured Claytan Milligan, they played at a high tempo throughout and did not allow the heavy Belvedere pack to dominate as they had in the return fixture.
Aaron Sexton opened the scoring with a trademark burst and Ballynahinch went further ahead when the impressive Matthew Booth went over.
This seemed to kick the away side into gear and they enjoyed their best period of the match, converting pressure into points with a tap penalty from close range getting them on the scoreboard and closing the gap to two points when the ball was spun wide following a midfield line break.
Ballynahinch steadied themselves with the help of some indiscipline from their opponents, punishing a needless high tackle with a kick to the corner and a maul try from Josh Hanlon with the last act of the half.
The second half was all about the home side. Another maul try from Hanlon took them further ahead and they began to play with more freedom as they attacked towards the clubhouse. Sexton scored in the corner following a quick tap penalty and replacement centre Quinn Armstrong added a final flourish with a late score.
Shorn of any Ulster players for most of the second half of the season, Adam Craig has seen his young players step up seamlessly into the AIL spotlight, gaining vital experience at the very top of club rugby in Ireland.
Home grown talent like Ryan Connolly, Matthew Booth, Harry Mckeown, Quinn Armstrong, Ryan Halpin and the Bennett twins have a big future at Ballymacarn Park. The season finishes in Limerick this weekend at Young Munster. All support welcome.
Ballynahinch RFC Round-up 28 3 2026
Club Notes
The Second XV suffered a bad defeat at Instonians and face a must win match at Malone on Thursday night to clinch the league title.
The Thirds continued their surge up the table with an eight try victory over Bangor. Eight wins from their last nine fixtures sees them in third place with one game to play and they will hope to maintain that form ahead of the Crawford Plate final on April 25th.
The Fourths and fifths remain in pole position to win their respective league sections ahead of their own Cup Finals at Affidea Stadium on 25th April. The fourths had a great win over Dromore and the fifths scored almost eighty points against Portadown. Both sides have league fixtures to complete over the next fortnight.
The U18 boys are into the Plate Final after a close victory at Inishowen. They will play Coleraine at the Meadowbank Arena in Magherafelt on 11th April.
Girls rugby continues to thrive with participation up and results beginning to follow.
The President’s Dinner will be held in the clubhouse on Friday 8th May. To book your place contact 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 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 Kenny Morton – Mini Convenor on 07813157614 or email [email protected]
