On Saturday 11th October, Ballymoney travelled to face a young Ophir side who started the game with a tempo Ballymoney had hoped would soon settle. It wasn’t long before Ballymoney got their act together and brought some structure to their play. Through Kyle McAuley, they took the lead, with a conversion by Brace making it 7–0.

The game was open, and both teams showed intent, but Ballymoney’s experience in the pack soon told. A driving maul saw Curtis Montgomery score a well-deserved try, taking the score to 12–0 after just 15 minutes. The game was flowing, and some loose tackles from Ophir allowed Ryan Brace to make good ground to the corner. From the resulting lineout, Ballymoney powered over the line for Andy Millar to score, and Brace added the extras to make it 19–0.

Ophir had some good chances, but last-ditch tackles from Darren Smyth in the pack and Ricky Cochrane at fullback kept them out. However, Ophir did take advantage of a penalty opportunity to get on the board at 19–3.

Ballymoney restarted strongly, and big hits from Danny Platt allowed Neal Mulholland to break through the defence and offload to Jonny Linton, who ran nearly 40 metres untouched under the posts. An easy conversion for Brace made it 26–3. Ophir continued to try and take their chances, but Ballymoney stood firm. It wasn’t long before McAuley finished off some slick handling from the backs to score out wide. Brace missed the conversion, but the lead stretched to 31–3.

With five minutes remaining in the half, Ballymoney attacked from a lineout deep in the Ophir 22, and from the maul, Dan McCord crossed in the corner. The score was now 36–3, which remained the halftime tally.

Ballymoney kicked off the second half, but Ophir were determined not to go down easily. They spent a considerable spell in the Ballymoney 22, and their persistence paid off with a well-taken try out wide. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 36–8.

The game opened up again, and Mulholland showed his skill by picking the ball up at pace in an awkward position, pirouetting past the rushing Ophir defence, and creating space for Russell Irwin to score a well-deserved try. Brace added the conversion to make it 43–8.

Ophir tried to salvage something from the game, but Ballymoney struck back quickly from the restart. A powerful run through midfield by Gilan Carruthers set up Montgomery, who crashed over the line for another try. Brace converted to extend the lead to 50–8.

Ophir, to their credit, kept playing positively. Some sharp offloading and a clever blind pass through midfield resulted in a fine try, which was converted to bring the score to 50–15.

Ballymoney were in no mood to let Ophir dictate the play, and in quick succession both Linton and Mulholland crossed for tries — Linton’s second of the day — taking the score to 62–15.

Ophir’s spirit didn’t fade, and they were rewarded for their determination. A quick tap penalty caught Ballymoney off guard, and Ophir scored under the posts, adding the conversion to make it 62–22.

Ballymoney had the final say. From a well-worked scrum, Linton broke open the defence and passed inside to Irwin, who raced under the posts for his second try of the day. Brace converted to complete a convincing 69–22 victory for Ballymoney.

Ballymoney RFC

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