Welcome to Ballymena RFC @ Eaton Park – Est 1887

Ballymena’s sluggish start proved costly as they succumbed to a 17-24 defeat to Barnhall in a hotly contested encounter. The home side was left to rue missed opportunities and defensive lapses, especially in the opening 20 minutes, which allowed Barnhall to race into a commanding lead. Ballymena struggled to settle, with Barnhall’s clinical execution off set-pieces and well-placed kicks exploiting gaps in the Ballymena defence.
 
Just two minutes in, Barnhall capitalised on a lineout deep in Ballymena’s 22. The ball was spread wide, and a well-timed grubber kick from the Barnhall fly-half allowed their winger to score the opening try. Ballymena continued to struggle in defence as Barnhall added a second, this time benefiting from a missed tackle near the 22, giving the visitors an easy run-in to extend their lead to 12-0.
 
Another precise kick from the Barnhall full-back saw their winger collect a bouncing ball and touch down for a third try, leaving Ballymena 17 points adrift. Despite a couple of attacking opportunities, Ballymena failed to capitalise, knocking on during crucial 5-metre lineouts, and Barnhall’s defence remained solid as they went into the break with a 17-0 lead.
 
In the second half, Ballymena showed some resilience, with a series of pick-and-goes eventually seeing Milford crash over to register their first points of the match. However, Barnhall responded almost immediately with another soft try, again exploiting poor midfield tackling to push the score to 24-7.
 
Ballymena’s Adam Lamont gave the home crowd a late glimmer of hope with a try in the final minutes, narrowing the gap to 24-14. A further penalty from Callum Patterson brought Ballymena within seven points at 24-17, securing a losing bonus point. However, it wasn’t enough to overturn Barnhall’s early dominance, and Ballymena’s slow start ultimately cost them the game. Injuries to key players Rodger McBurney and Mark Lamont added to a challenging day for the home side, as they look to regroup and bounce back in the next fixture.
 
Ballymena team vs Barnhall
 
1. David Forsythe 
2. ⁠Mark Lamont
3. ⁠Joe Mawhinney
4. ⁠David Milford 
5. ⁠Jonny Browne 
6. ⁠Alexander Clarke
7. ⁠James Howe
8. ⁠Adam Lamont 
9. ⁠Oliver Smyth
10. ⁠Joe O’Rawe
11. ⁠Michael McLean
12. ⁠Callum Patterson
13. ⁠Daniel Vercoe-Rogers
14. ⁠Ben Neely 
15. ⁠Sean McKay
16. ⁠James Taggart
17. ⁠Jacob Oliver
18. ⁠Oisin Jordan
19. ⁠Roshan Weerarathne
20. ⁠Rodger McBurney
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