Ballycastle Chronicle - Sports - ’Dee end Toon’s cup dreams

Sports

’Dee end Toon’s cup dreams

Thursday, 2 February 2012

Donaghadee 1st XV.........................30
Ballymoney 1st XV...........................27

BALLYMONEY 1st XV's Towns' Cup dreams ended on Saturday with a narrow defeat away to Millar, McCaw and Wylie Junior Cup champions Donaghadee.
With a narrow defeat to the Co Down team earlier in the season and a draw in Ballymoney this was always going to be a tough game.
The conditions were near perfect for a game of running rugby with the pitch in good condition, despite the heavy rain.
Ballymoney started the game at a fast pace and attacked deep into the 'Dee' 22. However, a few early nerves resulted in penalties to Donaghadee and it allowed them to clear their lines.
The Ballymoney lineout was working well and gave the backs good ball to attack from. The forwards were quick to react and a number of carries from Irvine, Hanna, Campbell and Richmond brought play near the Donaghadee try line. As in previous weeks, scrum-half Nelson was keeping the home team's defence on their toes and a snipe by Nelson was stopped just short. However, quick ball resulted in blindside Surgenor crashing over for the opening score with less than 10 minutes played. The kick below the posts was successful from captain James Cleland and Ballymoney had an early 7-0 lead.
The game was soon developing into a contest between Ballymoney's younger faster backs and forwards verses the larger and experienced Donaghadee team. Play was brought into the Toon 22 and after several phases a change of direction from the Dee scrum half saw Ballymoney defence short in numbers. A pass to a Dee prop allowed him to break the line and score under the posts. The conversion was added by Santos and the game was all square.
Ballymoney again went on the attack and as the game flowed between each side's half, two more penalties were exchanged with Ballymoney first taking the lead through the boot of Cleland and then a few minutes later Santos levelled the game at 10-10 with 20 minutes played.
The next 20 minutes would be all Ballymoney. From excellent lineout work by the forwards the ball was moved out the back line. The pace and hands from the young backs saw full back Cormac McCartney cross the line in the corner from the first phase. Cleland added the conversion and now Ballymoney lea 10-17, with 10 minutes of the half remaining.
It would be the Toon backs that would make the difference again. This time from the opposite side of the pitch the ball moved out the back line. Centre Cleland, full-back McCartney and Winger Strang all combined to break the gain line and the final pass put Strang in space with 20 metres to go. The young winger showed his pace as he beat the cover defence to score below the posts. Again Cleland added the extra points for a lead now of 10-24 and it could have been more only for the referee to instead award Ballymoney a five metre scrum when it looked like Ben Henderson had dived in on the ball.