1st XV v Rainey
Rainey OB 7 Ballymena 35
Ulster Senior League
Ballymena travelled to Magherafelt to start the new season against a club
who have just moved up to senior rugby. Last year they were invincible
in Junior rugby and won everything available but although they put up
a valliant effort Ballymena were just too good and ran out winners by
35 points to 7.
The score would suggest a one-sided game but this was not the case as
Rainey had a good share of the spoils but when it came to being positive
in defence and ruthless in attack then Ballymena were the masters. Ballymena
created lots of chances and turned them into points whereas Rainey created
chances but Ballymena proved resolute in defence and kept the score to
a minimum.
Ballymena could have gone ahead as early as the second minute but a penalty
effort by Dirkie Strydom just drifted wide. However the first score was
not long in coming when a period of pressure in the home 22 saw a brilliant
passing movement ending in debut player Craig Woods scoring a try which
Strydom converted.
Shortly after this Rainey received a severe blow when player coach John
Andrews had to leave the field due to injury.
Rainey had their moments and probed the Ballymena defence but Dirkie Strydom
was the expert when it came to making his kicks from hand pay and often
found touch in the home 22. Rainey's kicks were long into the Ballymena
half which gave Strydom time to start another Ballymena attack. From one
such attack the home defence was forced into conceding a penalty and Strydom
put it over to increase the lead. He repeated the same 3 minutes later
increase the lead to 13 points.
Ballymena continued to control the game but on the half hour a lapse in
defence saw the ball going loose and Rainey were first to react and and
scored a try which Michael Glancy converted. Just before half time the
same player had a chance with a penalty but just pulled the ball left
of the posts.
The second half saw both sides getting their fair share of the spoils
but perhaps it could be said that the old malaise of making errors at
vitel times was evident in Ballymena's play. Too often promising moves
failed to materialise due to handling errors and on at least 3 occasions
try scoring opportunities disappeared with a poor final pass or poor handling.
In the 53rd minute Rainey had possession but lost the ball and and it
was hacked on and Craig Woods won the race to get try number 2 and Strydom
converted. In the 70th minute Strydom increased the lead with another
penalty.
The game was petering out but Ballymena turned the ball over in the home
22 and the ball was quickly moved to Alan Smith, making his debut on the
other wing, and he was too quick for the home defence and Strydom converted
his try. Smith repeated his feat in injury time but this time the try
went unconverted to leave Ballymena convincing winners by 35 points to
7.
Ballymena: D Strydom; A Smith, P Budina, J Burgess, C Woods; S Paul (C
Brigl), P Spence (R McGreer); A Kirkpatrick, M Harshaw, S Shaw, I Caldwell
( D Beggs), B Young, M Hill, A McGrugan, G Moore.
