Daniel Vercoe-Rogers opened the scoring for Ballymena with a superb run off a scrum move in the opening minutes.
Omagh responded quickly as Ballymena failed to collect the kickoff, allowing Omagh to work through the phases and score.
Pierce Crowe then added two penalties for Ballymena, taking advantage of the backs’ success out wide and causing Omagh significant problems.
With just a minute left in the first half and Ballymena leading 13-7, they struggled to win lineout ball. Omagh turned over possession and ran through the phases to score under the posts, making it 14-13 to Omagh at halftime.
In the second half, Ballymena continued to struggle to retain possession from the kickoff. Omagh capitalized on this, regaining possession and putting pressure on Ballymena’s set piece to score, extending their lead to 20-13.
Ballymena’s backs remained a threat, with Crowe and Vercoe-Rogers making good ground in attack. After some superb link play up the touchline, Vercoe-Rogers, Crowe, and McBurney managed to evade the Omagh defence, with Crowe finishing the move in the corner to level the score at 20-20.
However, Ballymena’s discipline faltered in the final quarter, with McCartney and Taggart receiving yellow cards. This left the young team under severe pressure, playing with only 13 men.
Despite this disadvantage, Ballymena fought bravely and managed to turn the ball over on their own line. Unfortunately, they knocked it on immediately, and Omagh exploited the overlap to score out wide, making it 26-20 with five minutes to play.
Undeterred, Ballymena came back at Omagh, managing to gain possession deep in the opposition territory. Daniel Vercoe-Rogers, in his first start since leaving Ballymena Academy, attacked down the short side and evaded the Omagh defenders to dot down in the corner.
Unfortunately, the conversion was missed, but this young Ballymena side, with five players just out of school, showed incredible bravery and heart in their first Ulster Senior League appearance.
