Ballymena suffer second successive AIL defeat

Ballymena suffered another stumble in their Ulster Bank All-Ireland League promotion push at they lost 15-12 at home to St Mary's on Saturday.
Guests who attended the pre-match lunch prior to Saturday's Ballymena v St Mary's All-Ireland League game at Eaton Park. Included are Declan Fanning (St Mary's President), Guy McCullough (Ballymena President), David Hamilton - Martin & Hamilton (match sponsors), Eamonn Loughran (Guest Speaker) and Ken Reid (Guest Speaker). Picture: Darrell O'Kane.Guests who attended the pre-match lunch prior to Saturday's Ballymena v St Mary's All-Ireland League game at Eaton Park. Included are Declan Fanning (St Mary's President), Guy McCullough (Ballymena President), David Hamilton - Martin & Hamilton (match sponsors), Eamonn Loughran (Guest Speaker) and Ken Reid (Guest Speaker). Picture: Darrell O'Kane.
Guests who attended the pre-match lunch prior to Saturday's Ballymena v St Mary's All-Ireland League game at Eaton Park. Included are Declan Fanning (St Mary's President), Guy McCullough (Ballymena President), David Hamilton - Martin & Hamilton (match sponsors), Eamonn Loughran (Guest Speaker) and Ken Reid (Guest Speaker). Picture: Darrell O'Kane.

With St Mary’s at the top of the table and Ballymena sitting in second place, this Davison 1B encounter between the two teams was always going to be close, and that is exactly how it turned out.

Ballymena took an early lead with a Richie McMaster penalty, but that was a short lived advantage as Sean Kearns levelled the scores with a similar effort.

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For most of the first half there was nothing between the teams with Ballymena Holding a very slight edge, and that slight advantage was turned into points just before the break by another Richie McMaster penalty to give Ballymena a 6-3 half time lead.

The second half began much in the same vein, both sides trying to run the ball but making little headway against well organised defences. With ten minutes gone a scrum to St Mary’s saw Andrew Ferguson being yellow carded and a penalty awarded, which out half Kearns kicked to touch. The first attempt at a driving maul resulted in yet another penalty to St Mary’s who again kicked to touch and this time they succeeded in driving Ballymena across the line for a try which Kearns failed to convert.

Five minutes later Ballymena pressure brought a penalty which McMaster kicked to put Ballymena back in front at 9-8. He was replaced by Andrew Magrath who kicked a penalty for a fully deserved 12-8 lead.

With Ballymena calling most of the shots in the second half, it looked as if that four point lead with five minutes to go might just see them through, as St Mary’s were getting no change from the home defence.

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But in the third minute of injury time the referee spotted an offence in the ruck, dismissed Dominic Gallagher and awarded St Mary’s a penalty which they kicked to touch 15 metres out. They won the lineout and drove forward and with virtually the whole team joining in they drove Ballymena across the line. The referee looked at the jumble of bodies and decided that they had got the touchdown and awarded a try.

Kearns kicked the conversion leaving the final score at 15-12 to the visitors, a hugely disappointing outcome for a Ballymena side which in every respect matched or bettered their opponents.

With 13 of the 18 matches played, Ballymena slip to third place in the table, three points behind Trinity and thirteen points clear of fourth placed Buccaneers. Ballymena’s next game is away to Blackrock on the 20th February, followed by a home clash with Shannon.

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