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After a well-deserved rest week, JKC/Causeway Geotech sponsored Ballymoney 1st XV returned to action at Kilraughts Road in the Town’s Cup where near neighbours Coleraine were the visitors, in which always is a tight encounter, and despite the inclement weather over the past week , the pitch was in perfect condition and a huge crowd had attended in anticipation of a good game of rugby.
In a fairly tight start, Coleraine took the lead on fifteen minutes, a penalty converted from just outside the 22 when the home side were penalised at a scrum. Coleraine were down to 14 men just before this when their number 8 was yellow carded for a dangerous high tackle and was extremely fortunate not to see red.
From the resulting restart, Ballymoney hit back, the forwards carrying well into the 22 before Marty Irwin broke through to score the opening try, converted by Aaron Gervais.
Ballymoney kept the visitors under the cosh for most of the half, in particular the back row of Brown, Pollock and Scott making good yards, and when Coleraine did get the ball, the home defence was excellent. Just on the stroke of half time the Toon had Coleraine under pressure and conceding a number of penalties from which Steele kicked to the corner. From the line out, the forwards picked and drove at Coleraine and Bleakley crashed over the line, again, Gervais converting, half time score 14-3.
The second half started as the first ended with Money playing towards the clubhouse end to the large support. Toon pressure saw Coleraine kick clear but gathered by fullback Hawthorne who stormed into the 22, drawing in his man and offloading to Ross Fallows on the wing, who popped inside to the supporting Matthew Steele to score a superb try; Gervais converting to stretch the lead to 21-3.
The visitors to their credit kept trying to get back into the game but never really threatened to score as again. The Toon defence was very efficient and with Money dominating the set piece, their superior fitness starting to show as Coleraine started to fade.
Fallows was unlucky not to score midway through the half as he was bundled into touch as he crossed the line following some link up play from the backs however, it wasn’t too long before he did stretch the score further from Coleraine. Continued pressure from the Toon pack as they battered at the Coleraine line before stretching it out wide left to take it to 26-3.
Fallows finished off a good day for the Toon just at the end when he crossed on the opposite wing to put the icing on the cake, again after the pack tied in the defence creating space out wide right giving the Toon a well-deserved 31-3 win, retaining the Tweed Cup and moving into the next round of the Town’s Cup.
“Very happy with the result today,” said Marty Irwin after the game. “Whilst we have played better this season it was important to get the job done today and progress in the Town’s Cup. We knew Coleraine would come and give us a very difficult game, but I felt our defence marshalled their attack well and I thought they really never looked like scoring. Our set piece operated very well; at times we conceded too many penalties but we started to stretch them well especially in the second half.
Again, we work hard at training to improve on the things we can get better at as we face Carrick in the league this incoming Saturday as we get to the halfway point in our league campaign.
Thanks to the huge support out today, it is great to play to such a big crowd, the lads really appreciate it.”