City of Derry Rugby Club’s poor run of form continued on Saturday last at Judges Road in the Ulster Senior League when they were beaten by their only title challengers Ballynahinch. The two clubs are now in joint top spot in the table on thirty points but the Co Down men have a game in hand.
The conditions at Judges Road on Saturday were arctic with a bitterly cold cross field wind, both teams kept the crowd entertained with the result in doubt right up to the last five minutes. Derry started the better with plenty of early pressure but were unable to unlock the Hinch defence and the closest they came to scoring was a penalty miss on ten minutes.
Ballynahinch survived the initial pressure and got themselves on the scoreboard twice in quick succession on twenty minutes courtesy of two well struck penalties from Michael Lawton the second one following a great piece of play by centre Harte. The home teams play deteriorated with poor handling and options taken leading to unnecessary pressure when territory could be gained by kicking. The insistence of running the ball from inside your own 22 every time is fraught with danger against decent senior opposition.
Derry upped their game on thirty minutes and produced their best passage of play. Good attacking play from Chris Barber, Jack Caithness and wingers William McCleery and Simon Logue kept Ballynahinch on the back foot. Derry should have scored a try on thirty two minutes with a six man overlap created out right but Hinch slowed ruck ball twice and when their wing forward McGuigan was sent to the bin Peter Henderson kicked the resultant penalty and Derry were behind by 6pts to 3.
More pressure from Derry gave Henderson another shot at goal on thirty seven minutes to level the scores but the referee over ruled the two linesmen and no conversion was given. The Derry scrum with a front row of Chris Shields, David Ferguson and Paul McFeely was dominant all through and the pack produced on the stroke of half time. Quick scrum ball allowed No 8 Tom Patton to pickup 20 meters out and draw the last man to allow scrum half Jack Caithness to touch down in the corner for a deserved try and with Henderson converting Derry were in the lead for the first time at 10pts to 6pts.
Derry started the second half poorly turning over possession once again by trying to play too much rugby in their 22. Ballynahinch capitalised on gifted ball with five minutes gone and winger Adam Craig could not believe his luck as he gathered the ball to waltz past three tacklers to touch down for a try and with Michael Lawton converting the Hinch lead by 13pts to 10pts.
Derry and Ballynahinch had penalty misses on ten and twenty minutes as the weather deteriorated. Derry received a blow on twenty two minutes when their captain David Funston was sent to the bin for continual infringement at the breakdown.
The game changer came on thirty five minutes with sustained Derry pressure on the Hinch line almost producing a score that would have clinched victory. The Ballynahinch defence was solid and when possession was eventually turned over they swept down the field in a flowing movement that saw out half James Thompson get in for the decisive try which Lawton converted for a 20pts to 10pts lead. Lawton with the last kick of the game converted another penalty to leave Ballynahinch victorious by 23pts to 10pts.
City of Derry Team V Ballynahinch; Chris Shields, David Ferguson, Paul McFeely, Philip Brady, Brian Prue, Adam Bratton, David Funston, Tom Patton, Jack Caithness, Richard Peoples, William McCleery, David Graham, Chris Barber, Simon Logue, Peter Henderson. Replacements; Sam McAuley, Sam Duffy, Steven Jefferson, Bob McKillop, Richard Peoples.
