JKC/Causeway Geotech sponsored Ballymoney 1st XV welcomed Portadown RFC to Kilraughts Road on Saturday afternoon, eager to bounce back from their heavy defeat at Omagh the previous week.

With Marcel Ngyutin and Marty Irwin carrying injuries, George McAuley and Matty Bell were drafted into the starting side, while Andy Young lined up on the wing and Lewis Hawthorne returned at full back.

The home side started brightly, taking the lead inside two minutes when a Portadown infringement at the 22 handed Ballymoney an early penalty, which was converted for a 3-0 advantage. Portadown responded on 10 minutes when a Ballymoney penalty allowed the visitors’ fly-half to level the scores at 3-3.

Midway through the half, a missed tackle from a Portadown lineout opened the door for the visitors to exploit the blind side and touch down in the corner. The conversion was missed, but the visitors led 8-3.

That setback sparked Ballymoney into their best spell of the match. With the scrum dominating, repeated infringements from the Portadown pack saw the referee brandish a yellow card. Opting for another scrum, Ballymoney drove their opponents off the ball and No.8 powered over the line. Paddy Carson added the extras to restore the home lead at 10-8.

Ballymoney thought they had extended their advantage when Owen Boyd gathered a neat chip through, only for play to be brought back for an earlier penalty. Despite that frustration, the hosts went into half-time level in both spirit and contest.

Injuries, however, began to take their toll. James Currie and Andy Young were both forced off before the break, while tighthead Jackson struggled with an Achilles problem. Although Currie returned to cover in the front row, Portadown struck decisively at the start of the second half with two tries in the opening five minutes to seize control at 20-10.

A lost lineout deep in Portadown territory proved costly as the visitors countered with another converted score, stretching the lead to 27-10. A final try in the closing stages sealed a 34-10 defeat for Ballymoney in what was a bruising and attritional contest.

Reflecting afterwards, coach Marty Irwin said:
“We knew today was going to be a tough physical game but our first-half performance was very pleasing. We battled hard up front, looked sharp out the backs, and defended strongly. They hit us with two quick tries straight after the restart which didn’t help, and errors allowed them in again which pretty much finished us off. The boys put in a big shift, especially as we finished the game with a long injury list. Thankfully we have a rest week coming up, which should help us get a few more bodies back on the pitch. Thanks again to all our supporters at home today – we really appreciate it.”