On Saturday Ballymoney 3XV were on the road to face Limavady 2XV. In the previous meeting Ballymoney edged out the result as close winners and were looking forward to another competitive match.

Ballymoney started brightly; Some strong carries in the forwards created enough space for the backs to do damage. Matthew Fox was able to pick out a gap and run in from distance to open the scoring 5-0.
Limavady were quick to respond and with Ballymoney indiscipline costing a few penalties they quickly found themselves on the back foot. Limavady scored two tries in quick succession to leave the scoreline 10-5.

The toon men continued to challenge in the Limavady 22 and missed a few opportunities to draw level until Gavin Finney crossed the line to leave to scoreline 10-10. Ballymoney continued to put pressure on and scored just before half time to leave the scoreline 17-10 after Ruairi Hawthorne crashed over the line.

The game was very competitive early in the second half with Limavady seeing off sustained pressure in their 22 and scoring up the other end to close the gap to 17-15. Joe Lynas and Thomas Condell were making their impact off the bench with some great work in defence. Isaac Moore showed great pace and footwork to score from distance to extend the Ballymoney lead to 24-15. Limavady weren’t ready to give up and responded with a try of their own to leave the scoreline 24-22. They continued to apply pressure but some good defensive work from Zach McIlhagga ensured that Limavady were kept from crossing the line.

As the game moved into the latter stages, the Ballymoney team’s fitness shone through with gaps now opening up that could be exploited. Mark Lovell was pulling out his party tricks with a show-and-go that fooled the Limavady defence and allowed him to make good yards up the pitch. Matthew Fox beat his opposite man and cruised in for his second try of the day to leave the scoreline 29-22. The Toon men looked to kill off the game and Isaac Moore scored his second of the day. Gliding past defenders from distance and scoring under the posts. Full time: 36-22.

Manager Chris Campbell commented: “Today had great conditions to play some free-flowing rugby. It was great to give 5 youngsters their Ballymoney RFC debuts and it’s clear to see they have some promising careers ahead of them. This result leaves us 2nd in the league and we’ll look to finish the season strong”

Ballymoney 3XV face local rivals Coleraine 2XV at home on 22nd March in their final game of the season.