Ballymena endured a difficult afternoon away to MU Barnhall in dreadful conditions, compounded by the late withdrawal of captain Adam Lamont, who was forced to pull out during the warm-up due to illness. Despite this setback, Ballymena started promisingly, with Callum Patterson slotting an early penalty to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
With the strong wind at their backs in the first half, Ballymena looked to press home their advantage, but Barnhall struck back after a sustained period of pressure near the Ballymena try line, eventually crossing to take a 7-3 lead. Ballymena found it difficult to establish control, and Barnhall soon added to their tally. A break from the number 8 off the back of a scrum on the 22, followed by some sharp passing, saw the hosts score their second try. Ballymena went into the break trailing 14-3.
Turning into the wind for the second half, Ballymena struggled to gain territory, with Barnhall repeatedly pinning them deep inside their own half. The home side made full use of the conditions, scoring three unanswered tries to put the game out of reach. Ballymena kept battling, and veteran James Taggart scored a late consolation try, but it was not enough as Barnhall secured a comprehensive 31-10 victory.
The defeat leaves Ballymena in 9th place in AIL Division 2A, one point behind Navan. With two tough fixtures remaining—against league champions Instonians and Galway Corinthians—Ballymena will need to dig deep to pick up vital points and avoid a relegation playoff with teams from the division below.
Team:
Mustoe, Clarke, Mawhinney, P. Browne, Milford, Glass, McClean, Dobbin, Weerarathne, Patterson, D. Millar, Ritson, Crowe, Vercoe-Rogers, McBurney
Subs; M. Lamont, Taggart, Gallagher, Robson, T. Ferguson
