The new rugby season kicked off at Ballymacarn Park on Wednesday evening when a Ballynahinch XV played and Invitation XV in memory of Capt. Mark Hale who was killed in action in Afghanistan.
The Hinch side made up from players representing the 2’s 3’s and 4’s faced a powerful looking 2 Rifle’s outfit which featured mainly Fijian players with their unique style for hard hitting and hard running rugby.
The Rifles caught the home side cold and ran in 2 tries by the 20-minute mark one of which was converted to give them a 0-12 lead. The Hinch made a few changes to their pack, in the front row with the introduction of William Dodd and David Prentice added a bit of power with the experienced John Gunson taking charge from the second row.
Suddenly the game began to turn and the Hinch were rewarded with a try just before halftime when David Prentice was driven over to leave the Hinch trailing at the interval 7-12.
The second half was just as competitive with the Hinch men grabbing a second try which was not converted. At the end the Rifles managed to hang on to their 2-point advantage to capture the Mark Hale Memorial Trophy for the second year in succession. Brenda Hale and her daughter Alexandra presented Capt James Gibbins with the trophy after the game.
The Club would like to wish 2 Rifles a safe and trouble free deployment in Afghanistan in the moths ahead, and look forward to another re-match next season.
