At Eaton Park on Saturday the U18s faced cold and wet conditions and a determined City of Derry team in the Ulster Carpets Cup semi-final.
The home side were rewarded for their early pressure, fly half James Orr scoring on 5 minutes with a line break from 5 metres after early pressure on the City of Derry line, he also converted the try to make the score 7-0.
The backs added a second try from a first phase scrum move, centre Alfie Logan with a deft offload to full back Callum Jameson who pierced the opponents line, then executed a smart 1-2 move with wing Harry Young to score the second try.
Ballymena had much of the possession and territory for the rest of the half, and pressed home their advantage again on 25 minutes as the forwards battered the City of Derry Line from close range, a series of small carries gaining inches at a time before finally getting captain James Lynn over the line.
The second half was a more closely contested affair, with frequent hold ups and misdemeanours breaking up the flow of the game, but towering second row Tyrese Dunlop surged through on 22 minutes to extend the lead and winger Harry Young diving over the line on 65 minute to finish off a well-earned 29-0 victory.
The team will now face Armagh in the Cup final at the Kingspan Stadium on 12th April, a repeat of this year’s league final where the teams drew 12-12.
