Ulster Carpets Youth Finals Match Reports

The 2019 Ulster Carpets Youth Finals took place in glorious sunshine at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday 11th May. Ulster Carpets U14 Youth Cup Final: Banbridge 7 Carrickfergus 3 There was no shortage of drama in the first game of the day as Banbridge grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat with a late try to topple a dominant Carrick side. As both sides settled into the game in front of the large crowd, neither side could break the deadlock although it was Carrick who dominated territory and possession for much of the first half. Carrick out-half, Jack McCalmont was given a yellow card for a high tackle just before half-time and the sides went in tied 0-0. In the second half Carrick continued to pile on the pressure against the determined Banbridge defence. Carrick tight-head prop Jay Kincaid contributed to his team’s effort with several explosive carries and Carrick No.8, Leon Thornton, and his back-row colleagues, Ross McCalmont and Shane Gilmore put in an impressive shift, both carrying and tackling well. Dogged defence continued to deny Carrick a breakthrough until a superb solo run from Carrick 13, Michael Wilson, saw him crash over the line in the corner only to find that the try had been disallowed due to an earlier infringement. Carrick continued to plug away in the Banbridge half and were extremely unlucky not to score. Indeed, they crossed the line twice more in the game only for referee to call the play back on each occasion for earlier infringements. Carrick got some reward for their efforts however, winning a penalty which was duly slotted by No. 8 Leon Thornton to give them the lead their fast start deserved. Given Carrick’s possession and territory it seemed as though 3-0 may have been enough to secure the win. However, deep into the second half the ball was spread wide to Banbridge 13, Jamie Carville who tore down the wing, beating two defenders and rounding the full-back to scamper in under the posts for a superb solo try. The conversion put Banbridge into a 7-3 lead, setting the game up for a nail-biting finale. From the re-start Carrick were awarded a scrum and Banbridge were forced once again to put in a Herculean defensive effort to see out the match. Crunching tackles courtesy of Banbridge openside, Rian Evans and 13, Jamie Carville, provided their team with a huge lift at this crucial stage of the game. Carrick looked crestfallen at the final whistle will consider themselves desperately unlucky. Banbridge deserve huge credit for their superbly taken opportunistic try and defensive work-rate which was testament to how badly they wanted the victory. Banbridge: Jacob Henry, Andrew Cairns, Thomas McGrath, Emmett Magill, Pearse Magill, Rhys Smith, Rian Evans, Scott Crain (Cap), Todd Bryson, Denis Kerr, Ethan Dickson, Callum Fitzgerald, Jamie Carville, Isaac Finch, Conor Corrigan. Replacements: William McAllen, Ross McKee, Ben Doyle, Callum Toal, Tom Ewart. Carrick: Scott McClure, Leo Preuss, Jay Kincaid, Charlie Wilson, Sam Irvine, Ross McCalmont, Shane Gilmore (Cap), Leon Thornton, Aedyn McCord, Jack McCalmont, Jake Hall, Josh McCauley, Michael Wilson, Alfie Cambridge, Wallace Blair. Replacements: Oliver Elliot, Mark Robinson, Jake Taggart, Charlie Stanley, Callum Craig. Ulster Carpets U16 Youth Cup Final: Ballynahinch 0 City of Armagh 29 In the second final of the day, City of Armagh came away with an emphatic win over Ballynahich to secure a memorable league and cup double. Armagh made an early statement of intent with Sam Glasgow taking his try well in the corner after 2 minutes and Jack Fox stepped up to slot the touchline conversion. An Armagh penalty made the score 0-10 and the game began to look ominous for Ballynahinch as hooker RJ McCall displayed a good turn of pace to score Armagh’s second try of the game in under 10 minutes. Armagh’s ruthless attack continued with powerful surges from back row colleagues Sam and John Glasgow and impressive work in the loose from tight-head prop Philip Nichol who repeatedly punched holes in the Ballynahinch defence with strong carries. Just before the second half, James Crumie and Michael Burnett combined well in midfield to work their way up the pitch and the ball was supplied to Zac Corkery who scored an unconverted try in the corner. Ballynahinch did their best to reverse the tide in the second half. Shortly after the break Ballynahinch 10, Dan Hewitt carved up the middle and threw a superb dummy in the Armagh 22 before offloading to No. 8 Morgan Croskery who broke a tackle and marched towards the line before being sent into touch on the 5m line with a textbook tackle. Despite the best efforts of replacement prop Logan Mallon and Matthew Reynolds, who battled over the hard-yards, Armagh’s enthusiastic defence made it difficult for Ballynahinch to create chances. Armagh responded to Ballynahich’s resurgence with another period of concerted pressure into the second half. Ballynahinch centres, Cameron Patterson and Cameron Lyons, both put in a solid defensive performance as they did all they could to absorb the waves of Armagh attack. They worked their way up the field however and Sam Glasgow was teed up for his second try of the afternoon, barreling his way past several defenders and crashing underneath the posts. Fox added the conversion bringing the final score to 29-0 to Armagh. Ballynahich had some great passages of play and competed well, particularly in the second half when they clicked into gear. Armagh were too good on the day however, and, following a very strong start, secured a convincing win in this high-quality match. City of Armagh U16: Matthew Nichol, RJ McCall, Philip Nichol Adam Wright, Pauric Loughran, Sam Glasgow, Adam Wilson, John Glasgow, Ben Reynolds, Jack Fox, Chris Qua, James Crumbie (c), Michael Burnett, Zac Corkery, Eddie McGurgan. Replacements: Dylan Hazelton, Jack Rountree, Pat, Renaghan, Jack Steenson, Joe Henry, Caleb McKewon, Ben Steenson. Ballynahinch U16: Shaun Lin, Harry McCarroll, James McMaster Luke Braithwaite, Matthew Reynolds (c), Matthew Torney, Philip Crichton, Morgan Croskery, Jake Nixon, Dan Hewitt, Mark McAleenan, Cameron Patterson, Cameron Lyons, Jojo Naga, Caleb Maguire. Replacements: Logan Mallon, Kai Shields, Anthony Donnelly, Oliver Rickey, Tieran Keating, Ryan Knox, Brendan McKenna. Ulster Carpets U18 Youth Cup Final: Randalstown 7 Belfast Met 24 When these two sides met earlier in the year, there was very little to separate them, and any meeting of these two quality teams always threatened to come down to a few key moments. Indeed, a couple of missed chances from Randalstown decided it in favour of Belfast Met who secured the U18 League and Cup double. Despite this being Randalstown’s third Ulster Cup Final in five years, it was a poignant day for the team as the majority of the team have played youth rugby together for the past 10 years and this was to be their last outing before going their separate ways. Both sides started the game at a fast pace, with Randalstown clearly determined to lay down a marker in the opening few minutes. They were met with ferocious defending however and it was this stubborn resistance that effectively broke the deadlock in the 15th minute when the ball was turned over and the ball was spread to Stuart Wightman who burst through for the first try. It was dynamic No.8 Andrew Smyth who scored the second with Rhys Cobain converting both to bring the score to 14-0 before the break. The second period began with a converted try from Randalstown fullback Stefhan Gabbidonlyttle. Randalstown remained competitive with centre Cormac Devlin becoming increasingly influential and a classy display from No. 8 Jack McCarroll who lead the charge of the Randalstown pack as they battered away at the gain line. Having rocked their opponents with a strong start to the second half, Randalstown’s hopes of a late surge were dashed by Belfast Met who hit back in impressive fashion with outside centre Ross Warren crossing over for his side’s third try. The Belfast side enjoyed territorial supremacy for the remainder of an entertaining second half and Jack Harper was able to break down the Randalstown defence to score the final points of the game bringing it to 7-24. Belfast Met delivered the type of quality rugby that demonstrated why they are deserved winners of the league and cup double. Enormous credit must also go to Randalstown who looked dangerous throughout and achieved convincing wins over Virginia and Ballymena en route to the final despite an injury ravaged squad. Belfast Met: Jake Curran, Hack Harper, James Wilson, Lewis Sproule, Matthew Kinnin, Lewis Wilson, Joshua Richardson, Andrew Smyth (c), Ben McDonagh, Rhys Cobain, Jack Lennon, Curtis Henry, Ross Warren, Stewart Wightman, Tom McKee. Replacements: Riley Proctor, Joe Kane, Jack Cochrane, Conor Foster, Adam Cheshire, Jack Rouget, David Laverty. Randalstown: Mark McQuillan, Ricardo Corrieadaconceicao, Ross Swann, Brandon McAllister, Joel McCavana, Matthew Luke, Dominic O’Connor, Jack McCarroll, Oran Gilbert, Peter Cullen, Jack Johnston, Cormac Develin, Harvey McClurkin, Ciaran O’Neill, Stefhan Gabbidon–lyttle. Replacements: Joshua Balmer, Glen Logan, Adam Manzoor, Conn McGee, Eoin McDonald, Caolan Walsh. Reports compiled by Peter Lockhart.