On Saturday, the Ballymoney 2nd XV took the field against Rainey at Hatrick Park. With several changes from the previous outing — including a welcome return to the 2s for captain Jason Clyde on his birthday — there was plenty to play for.

The day began with a brief monsoon during the warm-up, leaving conditions slow and slippery throughout. As the match kicked off, it quickly became clear that the team making the fewest errors would have the upper hand.

An even first spell saw Ballymoney attacking up the hill, with strong carries from Clyde, Donnelly, and Blair making good ground. Out wide, the makeshift half-back pairing of McNeill and Pattison kept things simple, using Hodges and McIlhagga effectively through the middle.

However, it was the home side who opened the scoring. An attack down the right created space, and quick support play allowed Rainey to move the ball across to the left-hand side and touch down for a 5–0 lead.

Shortly afterwards, that advantage was extended to 10–0, this time with weight of numbers on the right putting their winger over for a well-worked try.

Half-time arrived with Ballymoney still pushing into the Rainey half. Despite multiple drives and offloads from Condell and both Ryan and Andy Millar, the visitors couldn’t find a way through.

Attacking down the hill in the second half, Ballymoney gained the upper hand, spending long periods inside the Rainey 22 and applying sustained pressure through their forwards.

The breakthrough finally came from a scrum on the right-hand side. After a powerful drive from the visiting pack and with advantage being played, Ruairi Hawthorne picked from the base and barrelled through the last defender to score.

With the wide conversion missed and a long-range penalty later pushed wide, the score stood at 10–5 to the home side. Moving into the final quarter, Hawthorne went close again but was brought down just short of the line.

The Toon men finally edged in front after another dominant scrum — this time stealing one against the head. Harry Orr picked up and powered over, with Pattison adding the conversion for a 12–10 lead.

With substitutes Ashley Tweed and Joe Lynas adding fresh energy, Ballymoney pressed forward again. After a Pattison penalty from in front of the posts, a sharp counter-attack from Ciaran McKenna at full-back brought the visitors back into the Rainey 22.

Although McIlhagga and Hodges couldn’t quite find a gap, a penalty soon followed. Captain Clyde opted for the scrum, and once more the pack responded superbly — driving Rainey backwards and allowing Orr to burrow over for his second try of the day. Pattison converted again to stretch the lead to 22–10.

In the final ten minutes, Rainey rallied, moving the ball well across the back line and testing Ballymoney’s defence. But strong work in the tight from Millar and Orr, who both secured crucial turnovers, helped run down the clock. The home side managed one final score in the corner, but that proved to be the last act of the match, with Ballymoney holding firm for a 22–15 away victory.

A battling performance — built on immense effort from the forwards, who wore down their opponents and capitalised when chances arose. The backline also deserves credit for their organisation and creativity despite late changes to the side.

There’s still plenty to work on in training, with four league fixtures remaining before Christmas and the defence of the cup to come. But for now, this was a satisfying and well-earned win on the road as the team looks ahead to the next challenge in two weeks’ time.