Ballynahinch wasted no time in asserting their authority, with winger Aaron Sexton scorching down the wing for the opening try just one minute into the contest. Conor Rankin successfully added the conversion, setting the early tone at 7-0.
Dungannon responded swiftly with a Ben McCaughey penalty in the 4th minute, briefly narrowing the gap to 7-3. However, this proved to be their only score of the match as Ballynahinch’s relentless pressure and clinical finishing took over.
The Hinch pack demonstrated their power in the 7th minute when Clayton Milligan mauled over the line for their second try. Although the conversion was missed, Ballynahinch extended their lead to 12-3. Despite some promising attacking phases and mauls from Dungannon, including forcing a penalty around the 9th minute, they were unable to breach the staunch Ballynahinch defence.
Conor Rankin further solidified Ballynahinch’s lead with a successful penalty in the 19th minute, taking the score to 15-3. Dungannon continued to battle, with a particularly threatening maul near the Hinch 5-metre line in the 22nd minute, but the Ballynahinch defence held firm. A yellow card for Ballynahinch in the 35th minute offered Dungannon a man advantage, but they were unable to capitalise before the interval.
The half-time whistle blew with Ballynahinch firmly in control at 15-3.
The second half saw Ballynahinch shift into an even higher gear. Despite some initial spirited efforts from Dungannon, including good attacking ground made by Gribben, it was Ballynahinch who would dominate the scoreboard.
The floodgates opened in the 57th minute when Zack McCall crossed for a try, duly converted by Rankin, pushing the score to 22-3. Clayton Milligan then bagged his second try of the afternoon in the 65th minute, with Rankin again adding the extras, to make it 29-3.
The tries continued to flow for the rampant Ballynahinch side. Rory Fulton added his name to the scoresheet in the 72nd minute, followed by another successful Rankin conversion, 36-3. Dungannon's woes were compounded in the 77th minute when they were reduced to 14 men due to a yellow card. Ballynahinch immediately capitalised, with Zack McCall powering over for his second try, again converted by the immaculate boot of Rankin, stretching the lead to 43-3.
As the clock ticked towards full time, George Pringle delivered the final blow, running clear from his own 22-metre line to score under the posts. Conor Rankin fittingly had the last say of the game, slotting the conversion to complete an emphatic 50-3 victory for Ballynahinch.
Scorers
Ballynahinch
Try: Sexton, Milligan (2), McCall (2), Fulton, Pringle
Conversion: Rankin (6)
Penalty: Rankin
Dungannon
Penalty: McCaughey
Teams
Ballynahinch
Conor Rankin 15, Ruairi Meharg 14, George Pringle 13, Mark Best 12, Aaron Sexton 11, Paul Kerr 10, Chris Gibson 9, Bradley Luney (C) 8, Zack McCall 7, Declan Horrax 6, Will Hopes 5, Ronan McCusker 4, John Dickson 3, Claytan Milligan 2, Calum Smyth 1
Replacements: Kelvin Hamilton, Scott Connolly, Peter Heasley, Ryan Connolly, Harry McKeown, Matthew Booth, Rory Fulton
Dungannon
Ben McCaughey 15, Toby Gribben 14, James Girvan 13, Kyle Gormley 12, Charlie Conroy 11, Andrew McGregor 10, Alex Johnston 9, Adam Milligan (C) 8, Billy Allen 7, Stephen Todd 6, Cameron Steenson 5, Callum Johns 4, James Gamble 3, Ryan Abernethy 2, Matthew Stockdale 1
Replacements: Sam Montgomery, Jacob Clarke, David Leyburn, Matthew Maguire, Aaron Nelson, Peter Nicholl, Peter Cashel