Ballymena Under 13s and 15s Tip Top
PICTURES The victorious Ballymena U15 team after their emphatic victory over local rivals Ballyclare
Ballymena Under 13s and Under 15s continued their superb start to the season with emphatic victories against local rivals Ballyclare. The Under 13s started things off with an awesome display which showed the power and talent of their squad. Urged on by scrum half McGarry the boys took the game to Ballyclare from the start. With Marks driving forward in the loose it was not long before the ball was moved to out half Mills. He faked to pass before running clear and putting the first points on the board. The try was converted by Harpur and the 13s were on their way. The forwards then began to take control and Richard Lamont agin proved his strength around the breakdown by scooping up a loose ball and crashing over for his first try of the game. Mills knocked over the conversion and the boys were now in control of the game. The first half continued in this vein with further tries added by McGarry and Boyle. The second half was to prove more of the same with the Ballymena forwards dominating their rivals. McMaster was a handful for the Ballyclare pack and his strong run released the winger Mills who crossed for the first of his four tries. Ballymena were now unstoppable and a nice move between Davison and Scott saw the ball moved to Van Loggerenburg whose strong drive took him across the line for another score. With the backs now running freely the forwards wanted in on the action and two quick tries followed from the strong running Roebuck. Ballyclare could provide nothing in response and the game moved to its inevitable conclusion. The final score Ballymena 87 Ballyclare 0.
The Under 15s were in equally dominating form and soon took the game to the visitors. Spurred on by a strong forward drive from Bell and Getty the ball moved to scrum half Crooks. He decided to keep the ball with the forwards and popped a pass to Fullerton who crashed over in the corner for the first score of the game. The 15s kept the pressure up through the pack and Ballyclare could not live with their power. Another surge from Mills and Scott saw the ball moved to McLeister who drove through despairing tackles to get an impressive try. The backs now decided to join in on the action. With the forwards having provided the space the backs now took full advantage. Stewart ran clear and passed to George. His pass released out half Crooks who sprinted clear to touch down under the posts. The first half saw the game move away from Ballyclare with a further try for the impressive McNeill. The second half did not produce any respite for the Ballyclare players. Mattison and Miskelly were now dominating the breakdown and Ballyclare could not secure any clean ball. The 15s were in no mood to take their foot off the pedal and the ball moved to centre Mackness whose strong run saw him cross for the first of his two tries. Further tries were to follow with back row. Forrester linking up with Jennings who added to the growing score. Further tries were to follow with Rock and Millar combining to put Crooks in the clear for another free running try. The game then moved to its conclusion with the Final score Ballymena 58 Ballyclare 0. The 13s and 15s now top their respective leagues and eagerly look forward to next week’s trip to Ophir.
