In a fiercely contested AIL 2A match-up, Old Crescent, one place ahead in the table, edged out Ballymena 29-24 in an action-packed game marked with both teams showing their quality at times during the game.
Old Crescent opened the scoring with an early penalty, taking a 3-0 lead.
Ballymena responded with a moment of brilliance, starting from a scrum on their own 22. The ball was moved wide to Michael McLean, who made a break down the left wing before putting through a well-placed kick for Sean McKay to chase down. McKay’s pace proved too much for the Crescent defence, and he dotted down for a try. Callum Patterson converted, putting Ballymena ahead at 3-7.
Patterson extended Ballymena’s lead with a well-struck penalty, bringing the score to 3-10. However, Old Crescent found their rhythm and capitalised on a series of lineout mauls inside the Ballymena 22, eventually driving over for their first try. The conversion attempt was missed, narrowing the gap to 8-10.
As the first half drew to a close, Ballymena maintained pressure through multiple attacking phases in the Crescent 22. Although Clarke was initially denied a try, Patterson spotted a gap and burst over from close range, adding the conversion himself to extend the lead to 8-17.
Ballymena couldn’t hold on to this lead for long, Old Crescent responded with another powerful lineout maul that led to a try, closing the half at 15-17. A yellow card to Ballymena’s Jacob Oliver for a maul infringement added to the drama.
Half time: Old Crescent 15 – 17 Ballymena
Old Crescent started the second half strongly. Following a 5m scrum, they worked through several phases and exposed space on the outside to cross the try line. The successful conversion pushed them ahead, 22-17.
Ballymena’s task became even harder when Milford was shown a yellow card for tackling within 10m of a quick tap penalty. Old Crescent quickly capitalised on their numerical advantage, scoring another try to extend their lead to 29-17.
Despite the setbacks, Ballymena showcased their resilience. Winning a penalty just outside Old Crescent’s 22, James McClean took a quick tap and, after several phases, the ball was spread wide to Michael McLean, who finished in the corner. The try reduced the deficit to 29-24, but time ran out before Ballymena could complete the comeback.
Ballymena’s young squad, missing ten key players due to injuries and unavailability, delivered a gutsy performance. With a few key moments potentially changing the outcome, they can take pride in their effort despite the narrow loss. The team remains 8th in the table with 10 points.
Team:
1. Oliver
2. Clarke
3. Mawhinney
4. Dobbin
5. Milford
6. McCartney
7. McClean
8. Lamont
9. Smith
10. O’Rawe
11. McLean
12. Patterson
13. Vercoe-Rogers
14. Neely
15. McKay
16. Hargy
17. Casson
18. Mustoe
19. Robson
20. Ferguson
