Out of the Towns Cup

Ballymoney took the field looking to win a place in the Towns Cup semi-final. With the league out of their hands, the squad saw this as the last chance to stay in the hunt for some silverware this season.

But Ballymena were to have their own agenda - a strong side came out, despite commitments in the Ulster Bank League for the 1st XV.

A Ballymena penalty on the 6th minute was quickly followed by a try for the home side, following a mistake on the clearance kick. Good handling put the winger in the corner, and 10-0 after 10 minutes was not what the visitors were looking for.

The Toon side have shown some resilience, and Neal Mulholland got a try back 7 minutes later, from a catch and drive inside the 22. 10-7, and game on, or so the crowd hoped.

After a tense 15 minutes or so, the home side started to capitalise on the Ballymoney mistakes - whether key dropped balls, missed tackles, or misplaced kicks. Three more tries for Ballymena in the 8 minutes before half time effectively killed the game as a contest - 27-7 at half time.

The second half started with some harsh words ringing in the ears of the Toon side, and indeed Cleland was first on the scoreboard, showing good urgency from a short range penalty to get over the line.

Rather than launch a comeback, however, that seemed to spur on the home side to defend more diligently and keep the Toon out. That hard work paid off with two further tries - one on 58 minutes, and the last one a penalty try from repeat scrum infringements.

39-12 at the final whistle, and while the Ballymena side showed their ambitions to play a higher level, the Ballymoney side will be disappointed not to have run this game closer.

League rugby is back next week, with the trip to Bangor always a tough occasion. With three games left, each point is vital if Ballymoney are to have a chance of finishing in the top four.