Ballymoney’s 2nd XV welcomed Omagh 2s to Kilraughts Road. With several squad members unavailable due to injury and other commitments, it was once again a much-changed side for this league encounter.

Playing up the hill and into a strengthening crosswind, Ballymoney conceded three early tries to give Omagh a commanding start.

The first came from a blindside overlap, with Omagh’s powerful flanker breaking through several tackles to score from 20 yards out.

A missed penalty at the other end then proved costly. Omagh cleared downfield, and under pressure the Ballymoney cover inadvertently handed possession straight back to the pressing attackers, who capitalised for a second try.

Shortly afterwards, a clearance kick that failed to find touch was gathered by the Omagh winger, who ran through a disorganised defence to score under the posts.

Ballymoney eventually converted pressure into points. From a midfield scrum, fullback Pattison beat his man and raced clear. With defenders closing in, he drew the final tackler and expertly released Jack Hart to finish in the corner.

Omagh appeared to have added another try down the right wing, but excellent chasing from Joel McCluggage forced the winger into an error, preventing the ball from being grounded.

However, the visitors did secure one more score before half-time to take a 24–5 lead into the break.

With the slope and wind now in their favour, Ballymoney started the second half on the front foot. Their reward came shortly after the restart when a lineout in the corner led to sustained close-range pressure. Matthew Blair was initially denied a try with the referee unsighted, but moments later he wrestled his way over the line to score.

Omagh responded strongly, with their second row and number eight making significant impacts. From a midfield ruck, their back-rower picked and drove through the fringe defence. Although cover tackles came in, Omagh finished the move with a straightforward try in the following phase.

Jack Hart claimed his second try on the right-hand side after a strong break from Dennis Posternak, who was making a welcome return to action.

Omagh continued to make territorial gains and, mindful of Ballymoney’s threat, opted to kick a late penalty to extend their advantage to 15 points.

At the final whistle, a 34–19 victory for Omagh was a fair reflection of the contest. The visitors were strong and well organised throughout. Ballymoney showed quality in patches but will recognise that conceding soft tries against such capable opposition proved costly.

Attention now turns to the Crawford Cup semi-final next week at home to Provincial Premier 2 leaders Banbridge 3s. It promises to be a big week of training and selection as the 2s aim to reach a third consecutive cup final.

Ballymoney RFC

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