The match began with Craigavon establishing early dominance. Harry Scott set the tone with a powerful run from the halfway line into the Ballymoney 22. Ballymoney faced an early setback when full-back Kai Beech was forced off with an injury in the 3rd minute. Craigavon capitalised on the momentum, with Alex White and Callum Thompson leading heavy carries toward the line.
The deadlock was broken in the 16th minute. Following an offload from Rhys Clarke, winger Jack Ferguson found space on the flank to score. While the conversion was missed, Craigavon continued to pressure the Ballymoney line. After being held up once, they eventually doubled their lead in the 23rd minute when Alex White crashed over from short range. Craigavon went into the interval with a 10-0 lead.
HT: Ballymoney High School 0 – 10 Craigavon Senior High School
Ballymoney responded immediately in the second half. Following a series of physical exchanges, Lewis Hogg beat his defender with a sharp step to score in the 31st minute. Tom McDowell added the conversion to bring the score to 10-7. Craigavon nearly extended their lead through Jack McGrath, but the winger was stopped short by Thomas Torrens and Lucas Blair, with the referee ruling a double movement.
In the 43rd minute, Ballymoney took the lead. Adam Stewart broke through the Craigavon defence with a clear run to score under the posts, with McDowell’s conversion making it 14-10.
The final ten minutes saw Craigavon camped in the Ballymoney 22. The Ballymoney defence, led by Sam Speers, produced several try-saving interventions, including putting Oliver Wells into touch just inches from the line. However, the pressure eventually told. After a late penalty and a tap-and-go, second-row Ed Bassett forced his way over the line in the final play to secure the one-point victory.
FT: Ballymoney High School 14 – 15 Craigavon Senior High School
Player of the Match – Rhys Clarke
Teams
Ballymoney High School
15 Kai Beech, 14 Max Cunningham, 13 Tom McDowell, 12 Lewis Hogg, 11 Adam Archibald, 10 Sam Speers (Joint Captain), 9 Jonathan Burnett, 1 Colin Shaw, 2 Graeme McAfee, 3 Blake Hunter, 4 Lucas Blair, 5 Roan Donald Magill, 6 Thomas Torrens, 7 Adam Stewart (17), 8 Tom Kirk (Joint Captain)
Replacements: 16 Archie Bellingham, 17 Kael Donnell (Blank top), 18 Alex McKinney, 19 Isaac Hanna, 20 Tyler Bann, 21 Ross Quinn (Blank top), 22 Henry Reid (Blank top), 23 Blair Cunningham (Blank top)
Craigavon Senior High School
15 Oliver Wells, 14 Jack Ferguson, 13 Ross Penny, 12 Archie Dougan, 11 Jack McGrath, 10 Matthew Gamble (Captain), 9 Faustas Lipskys, 1 Casper Wojtkowiak, 2 Callum Thompson, 3 Jack Robinson, 4 Ed Bassett, 5 Alfie Parker, 6 Rhys Clarke, 7 Jay Paisley, 8 James Wilson
Replacements: 16 Aaron Hagan, 17 Harry Scott, 18 Lewis Penny, 19 Ross Beattie, 20 Alex White, 21 Oliver Osmanowski, 22 Christopher Neilly, 23 Jack McCully
Scorers
Ballymoney High School: Tries: L. Hogg, A. Stewart Cons: T. McDowell (2)
Craigavon Senior High School: Tries: J.Ferguson, A. White, E. Bassett
