ULSTER CARPETS U17 YOUTH CUP FINAL
Dromore 22 Ballymena 19
A commanding first half performance from Dromore helped them to a 22-19 over Ballymena in the Ulster Carpets U17 Youth Cup Final.
The County Down side led 17-0 at half time but a strong response from Ballymena produced a nervy finish.
Dromore outhalf Trevor Morris had a great opportunity to open the scoring after 15 minutes but his penalty attempt from in front of the posts drifted wide. Outside centre Adam Reaney did get his side’s first points with a well-taken try after 26 minutes. Morris made no mistake with the conversion and then added a penalty to bring the score to 10-0 just after the half hour mark.
Marcus Heath intercepted as pass from Ballymena fullback Matthew Bell inside his own half and the right winger outstripped the covering defence to touch down under the posts. Morris converted for a 17-0 half time lead.
Dromore scored again five minutes after the break when loose forward Matthew Davis shrugged off two defenders and crossed in the right hand corner. It was just reward for his hard running throughout the game.
Now with a slight wind advantage, Ballymena responded with a well executed game plan of kicking for field position. Captain Conor O’Neill pinned back the Dromore defence and after a few phases, scrumhalf Tom Kerr squeezed over from close range. O’Neill was unfortunate to see his touchline conversion bounce back off the bar.
The Braidmen continued to apply pressure the opposition half and were rewarded soon after. Bell passed to right wing Aaron George who kicked through for Ty Mackness to chase. But the centre was impeded and the referee had no alternative but to award a penalty try. O’Neill’s simple conversion reduced the arrears to 22-12 with ten minutes remaining.
The Ballymena second row pairing of Kieran Thompson and Stephen Hunter grew into the game and it was the latter that sparked a third try for their team. Jordan Millar took advantage of a superb offload from Hunter to dot down for O’Neill to convert.
With two minutes left on the clock, they pushed for another score but the Dromore defence reorganised and rebuffed the late attacks.
ULSTER CARPETS U19 YOUTH CUP FINAL
Banbridge 26 Portadown 3
Banbridge endured a difficult opening spell but scored four tries - three in the second half - to secure a deserved 26-3 win over Portadown in the Ulster Carpets U19 Youth Cup Final.
It completed a remarkable season for Bann U19s, who beat the same opposition in the Nutty Krust Final a fortnight ago.
Portadown outhalf Graham Currie opened the scoring with a penalty after just three minutes when Banbridge were penalised for offside. He had an opportunity to repeat the dose around the 15 minute mark but his effort drifted wide.
Play was temporarily suspended two minutes later when Currie’s opposite number Macauley Little was stretched off the field with a knee injury. Thankfully he was able to return to the pitchside after the match to join the celebrations.
After a lengthy delay, it took both teams some time to find their rhythm again and there were no further scores until two minutes before the break. Openside flanker Richard Graham, who has earned a number of Man of the Match award this season, forced his way over in the right hand corner. Little’s replacement Adam Doherty, who has played All-Ireland rugby for the club’s 1st XV this season, saw his touchline conversion attempt fall short. That left the half-time score reading 5-3 in Bann’s favour.
Matthew McDonald, another player with 1st XV experience, entered the fray at half-time and wasted little time in stamping his authority on proceedings. He broke through two would-be tacklers to cross the whitewash and this time Doherty added the extras for a 12-3 lead.
Bann centre Ben Cross, son of Club President Stephen, scored a fine individual try five minutes later to put his team firmly in control of the tie. Slick handling in the backs found Cross, who dummied and cut inside before outpacing the cover defence. The conversion by Doherty was good, bring the score to 19-3.
The majority of the remainder of the game was played in the middle third, although Banbridge continued to look the more likely scorers. Doherty put the gloss on the performance with five minutes remaining when he scythed through a gap for a converted try to bring the final scoreline to 26-3.