Round five of the Ulster Bank league and Ballymena welcomed UCD to Eaton Pk in what would be described as ideal playing conditions on a fine November afternoon. Ballymena also welcomed Ulster signing Callum Black making his debut for the club, needing and indeed wanting some much required game time, after injury.
One would have been forgiven for thinking that with the youthful home team and the students from Dublin, along with the sunny afternoon, we would have expected a display of fast flowing rugby and a high scoring game, such was the case last year where UCD ran out winners in a 70 point game.
Ballymena started well with some early pressure and were awarded a scrum deep in the UCD half. A good drive on a second scrum lead to a penalty on 2 mins which just drifted wide of the post.
Both teams were defending well with their opponents being prevented from breaking the gain line, and much of the play in the middle of the park.
UCD won a penalty on 14 mins which Niall Earls converted to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
Despite going behind Ballymena continued to have the edge in a number of areas including the scrum, winning a penalty on 24 mins, where Semple rewarded them with an excellent line kick gaining 50m. The resulting line out was turned over indicating that indeed there was little between the two teams.
Ballymena continued to press and won another penalty on 29mins which John Semple kicked to draw them level at 3-3.
UCD responded and a few minutes later won another penalty out wide,which they elected to kick, with Earls this time just short of the posts, and Ballymena successfully cleared.
With some very good line kicking, Semple continued to keep UCD pegged back in their half and Ballymena won another penalty on 37mins which Semple converted to give the home team a deserved half time lead at 6-3.
Half-time Ballymena 6 – UCD 3
Ballymena made some changes in the front row for the second period with James Carson and John Burns coming in to the game. They started well continuing to put pressure on the UCD scrum, Burns and the ever present Andrew Kerr showing up well with some storming runs.
This period of play followed by some good running from the back line and Caolan Fitzpatrick showing his pace in making a good break lead to line out fifteen metres from the UCD line. Ballymena won the ball and from a powerful mall drove over to score the opening try of the game through Paul Pritchard on 49mins. The conversion was just short and the score now read 11-3 to Ballymena.
Shortly after Pritchard injured himself with a fearless tackle on the UCD centre and after some treatment continued.
UCD won a penalty on 60mins which went wide of the post. This was followed with more pressure from the visitors as they continued to come back at Ballymena. They won two more penalties which they sent down the line and tried a set move and Ballymena defending well,won a penalty which they kicked to the half way line.
UCD continued to come back at Ballymena and on 68mins won another penalty which was missed. Minutes later they won another and the re-introduced Earls successfully kicked to bring them to within a score at 6-11.
They continued to press with some good running play and looked like they were going in for a try on 77mins only to be denied with an excellent cover tackle from Alan Smyth.
UCD came back again and on 80mins managed to get the equalising score in the corner. They could have won the game with the conversion but it was wide, leaving the final score 11-11.
With other results going as the did Ballymena stay in third place in the league table.
Final score Ballymena 11 UCD 11
