Honorary Secretary's Annual Report Page 1
Mr. President and Members,
It is my privilege and pleasure to present to you, this my Nineteenth Annual Report as Honorary Secretary of Ballymena Rugby Football Club.
Mr. President, the relative success of the Seconds, Fifths, Under-20 and Under-18 has seen us lift a fair share of silverware this past season, but we all know that the success of any Club is always gauged by that of the First XV, and again in that respect we were disappointed. Having won 5 of their first 7 AIL games, including three in successive weeks, for a time hopes were high of a Top Four place. However, after their Xmas break, the team seemed to lose, and never regain, their momentum, and the second half of their season was nothing short of being calamitous, with only one more victory in the AIL, and a couple in the Senior Cup. Around the New Year, two very poor displays against Rainey and Queens dashed their previous high expectations of lifting the Ulster League. As in the past number of seasons, we again suffered from the lack of a dominant, or capable out-half, and in general, there was no apparent leader on the pitch.
But I first turn, if I may, Mr. President, to a more detailed playing
record of our various teams:
As I have already said, the First XV won only six of their AIB League
games, and a shortage of bonus points saw them finish 13th in Division
One. After a good start to their Ulster Championship League, they unexpectedly
lost to Instonians, Rainey and Queens, ending up in 3rd place. They also
lost to a buoyant Ballynahinch, doubtless the best side in Ulster, in
the final of the Senior Cup, and narrowly fell to Old Belvedere in the
second round of the AIB Cup. In all, they played 30 games, winning 16
and losing 14, with 595 points for and 578 against. In the AIL, Craig
Woods was our top points scorer with 93 to his credit, and he and Jamie
Smith were our top try-scorers, each with 6 touch-downs.
The Second XV had a reasonable season. They ended 3rd in the Second XV
league, Section A, but were eliminated from the Towns’ Cup in the
third round, and a defeat at the hands of Limavady meant they did not
qualify for the play-offs for the Junior Cup They won 15 and lost 5 of
their 20 games played, with 601 points for and 333 against. In their last
game of the season, they won the Past Players Cup, held over from the
previous year – defeating Portadown First XV 29-22.
Performances from the two middle sides,
as usual, do not make good reading. A young Third XV won 4 of their 20
games played, but penalty points deduced, saw them finishing second from
bottom of Junior League Section 1, and they were knocked out of the Crawford
Cup in the first round. They scored 267 points with 313 against. The Fourths
won 7 of their 19 games played, but also suffered penalties, which left
them 7th out of 11 in Junior League Section 3. They also made their exit
from the Crawford Cup at the first stage. Scoring 239 points they conceded
515.
The Fifth XV, however, had another characteristically successful season.
They won 23 of their 24 games played, won North-East Section of the Minor
League, retained the McCambley Cup and won the Ravenhill Cup, scoring
a huge 1007 points while conceding only 165. I dream of the day, Mr. President,
when our Community Rugby sides are governed by a proper Selection Committee
convened weekly, with a manager and a coach for each team, where there
is keen competition for places, among players freely moving up or down
as required, and with all players willingly paying their subscriptions
early in the season. But I fear this is only a pipe-dream, and, as has
been suggested as a possible alternative, should we, as some clubs in
the South are already doing, consider confining our rugby to Firsts, Seconds,
one or two Development sides, and a thriving Youth Section? But that is
a debate for another day.read on
