Larne U18s 25/04/09 - Mildred Holland Plate Final
Ballymena Under 18s Triumph in Final
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Ballymena Under 18s defeated local rivals Larne to win the Mildred Holland Plate on a glorious day at Dromore. Having lost four first choice players to injury the Braid boys started the final with a changed line up.
The final did not start well. A knock-on from the kick off saw Larne awarded a scrum. Several phases of play saw Larne work their way into the Ballymena twenty-two where they were awarded a penalty under the posts. The kick was successful giving Larne an early lead. Indeed this was to be the story of the first 10 minutes with Larne being awarded a series of penalties which saw them keep Ballymena pinned in their own half. However the Braid boys defence was excellent with wings Anderson and McKenna ensuring the Larne backs could not cross the line. The Ballymena pack then began to take control with Bowes, Simpson and Elder leading the way in the loose.
A Larne attack saw centre Purdy benefit from a loose pass. Purdy then surged up the field beating a series of tackles. With only one defender to beat, Purdy showed excellent awareness to slip a pass to Leslie who raced up the touchline before taking the ball for a score behind the posts. The conversion from Morris saw the score at half time Ballymena 7 – Larne 3.
The second half again saw the Braid pack dominating most of the possession. McKendry and Knox worked hard to give the backs good possession. With Wiggins kicking long into the Larne half, Larne were having to work hard to get good field position. From one such phase of play Morris converted a penalty to take the score to 10 – 3. However the penalty count again began to mount against the Braid boys in the latter stages of the match. This saw Larne begin to get more possession in the Ballymena half. The Braid boys however were determined this was to be their day. Their defence was excellent and the months of hard work paid dividends with the boys making tackle after tackle. The referee added 6 minutes for stoppages which made it a very nervous finish for players and supporters. However the whistle did blow to start the celebrations. A hard fought match against a good Larne team saw Ballymena lift the trophy after their 10 – 3 triumph.
Ballymena Team – D. Elder, S. Simpson, J. Bowes, D. McKay, D. McKendry, J. McKinney, G. Donnellly, W. Knox, E. Scullion, M. Wiggins, L. Purdy, K. Morris, L. Anderson, L. McKenna, R. Leslie. Replacements – C. McCartney, T. McBride, K. Mills, A. Hayes, J. Reid
