The Maxol-sponsored Carrick 1st XV were heavily beaten by Ballynahinch II in their Conference League fixture at Tom Simms Memorial Park on Saturday 24th November. THe benefit of these fixtures- intended to provide game time for the 2nd XVs of AIL clubs- is highly questionable. They often result in mis-matches and this cannot be to the benefit of either side. Saturday was a case in point with, depending on who you talked to, between five and ten AIL squad players turning out for Balynahinch.
Carrick were completely over-whelmed in the first half, conceding five tries by the thirtieth minute. However, it is to their credit that they then kept the visitors scoreless for the last ten minutes of the first half and for almost thirty minutes into the second. Indeed, ten minutes into the second half they scored a fine try of their own. It was only in the closing minutes, as Carrick tired, that Ballynahinch managed to unlock the Carrick defence once more to score two more tries. For Carrick, debutant scrum-half, Kenny Topping, played bravely and with no little skill, Ross Marsden and Chris Ferris carried and tackled with committment and, on the few occasions they got good ball,, Johnny Sheriff and Jason Wady showed their attacking talents.
Carrick started badly, conceding a try virtually from the kick-off, and for the first half-hour, their defence was porous to say the least as they conceded four more tries and a penalty goal. However, as they tightened up on their defence, and, in particular, began to make their first up tackles, Ballynahinch’s strategy of running hard at defenders stopped producing results. Then, ten minutes into the second half, Carrick put the Ballynahinch scrum under pressure for once and Chris Ferris picked up to drive into the heart of the visitors’ defence; when the ball was re-cycled, Carrick had a two on one and Johnny Sheriff made the most of it to wrong foot his marker and get in at the corner. Carrick continued to defend well and it was not until the twenty-eighth minute that Ballynahinch were able to add to their score with a try off the back of 5 metre scrum. As the defensive effort took its toll on Carrick, the visitors scored again in the closing minutes.
This is one Carrick will want to put behind them and get ready for Qualifying League action once again. They have no match this week but face Ballyclare at home on 8th December.
The Carrick team which faced Ballynahinch was:
C. Wallace; A. Moore, K. Quinn, J. Wady, K. Love; J. Sheriff, K. Topping; E.Peacock(A. Gibney), N. Hannah, R.Williams, A. Kincaid(Capt), D. Smith, C. Ferris, R. Marsden, C. Rea(R. Crymble).
Carrick’s Under 19s lost by 32 points to 31 in a very tight encounter with Ballymena. The Carrick scorers were Dean Henderson, Johnny Moore(2 ), Peter Magill and John Magill. Johnny Moore added three conversions.
Carrick fixtures for Saturday 1st December are:-
1st XV- no match
2nd XV vs Clogher Valley II, home
3rd XV vs Limavady II, home
4th XV vs Ards IV, home
