City of Derry Ladies cruised into the semi final of the Ulster Cup with a convincing 10 try, 62 – 0 win over Ballymoney at Kilraughts Road on Sunday.
The first 10 minutes were closely contested before Derry broke the deadlock with a well taken try by Fundi Plaatjie.
The talented scrum half completed her hat trick before the break with centre Natasha Milligan also crossing the Ballymoney line. Rachel Lennox converted 2 of the tries & Derry led 29-0 at half time.
Derry added 6 more tries in the second half through Fundi Plaatjie 2, Mandisa Williams 2, Naomi Lander & Andrea Shepherd. Lennox added 3 conversions and the final score was 62 – 0 in Derry’s favour.
The Derry pack played well despite being without the services of influential hooker Stacey Lea Kennedy, who was making her debut for Ireland in the 6 Nations Championship against Italy in Rovigo. The back row performed well together as a unit, Julie Simpson’s tackle count was immense and winger Andrea Shepherd rounded off a great performance in defence & attack with a well deserved try.
The Ballymoney side, playing in only their second season of rugby, didn’t let the Derry girls have it all their own way and can be very proud of their performance. They never let their heads drop and showed great commitment and team spirit to the final whistle.
Derry are again on the road when they travel to Belfast Harlequins for the semi-final next Sunday.
