Chairman’s delight after a memorable day at Eaton Park

In the morning we had the two school teams competing for the Barbarians’ Cup, playing a very fast open game, with Ulster Schools Cup winners Methodist College Belfast emerging as narrow winners.

Following that, we had the last of the seven corporate lunches that we put on this season, which was of the usual high standard, served up to a full house of 120 people.

The main event of the day, of course, was the last all Ireland league game against NUIM Barnhall, a club which on until fairly recently was also in the promotion stakes.

For us to secure a place back in division 1B, two things had to happen. Firstly, we had to beat Barnhall, and secondly Derry had to beat UCC in Cork, neither of which was going to be a particularly easy task.

UCC had beaten us a fortnight earlier down in Cork, and looked to be a very competent outfit, but we knew that Derry on their day posed a threat to any team in the league, so we still entertained hope that things would go our way.

However, as the afternoon wore on the first part of the job, to beat Barnhall, seemed to be eluding us, as despite an early try to give us a five nil lead, we turned over at the break trailing by six points to five. We had played with a strong wind in the first half, so to turn round in arrears was a disappointment, and that disappointment was compounded when Barnhall scored a converted try to give them a 13-6 lead, with the wind still blowing quite hard at their backs.

But, as so often in the past with this Ballymena team, they really knuckled down and took the game to their opponents in the final 20 minutes not only of this game but of their whole season.

Perhaps they were inspired by the news filtering through from Cork that Derry were beating UCC, but I am more inclined to think that it was the team spirit and determination that they had shown all season that saw them through.

Whatever the case, they really upped their game in those last 20 minutes and scored three tries, to give them a bonus point win by 24 points to 13. And then came the news that everyone had been waiting for, that Derry had beaten UCC, so promotion to division 1B was now certain.

That thrilling climax to a long season is a very fitting reward for the work that the players and coaches have put in, starting back in mid-July when early season training began, nine months ago.

I have often wondered how they all could maintain their enthusiasm and motivation, especially in those cold, dark winter nights of January and February, when sitting by the fire watching Coronation Street or Big Brother must have seemed a more attractive proposition.

But maintain it they did, and they have reaped the rewards, so already thoughts are turning to next season and to the recruitment process.

The IRFU has just recently published a review of the arrangements for the All Ireland League, and one of the recommendations is that players fully contracted to any of the provinces should not be allowed to play in Division Two.

That would have had an impact on Ballymena, as three of our key players, Ricky Andrew, Andrew Warwick and Dave Shanahan have represented the full Ulster team this season, but the win on Saturday means that they will be able to stay with us, and some of the players who were assigned elsewhere when we were relegated may come back to us.

So, the work begins again. In the meantime, however, we have another occasion to look forward to next Saturday when our 5ths, under the astute management of Peter Crabbe, make the short journey once again to Ravenhill to contest yet another cup final, this year the Forster Cup.

For reasons that only the Ulster Branch can explain, the kick off for this game is 12 noon, so I hope that some of the more senior members of the team will be up and dressed in time for such an early start.

Unless there are some developments that I don’t know about, that will the last BRFC fixture of the year, and the last chance to bring some silverware to the Park.

The Fifths have never disappointed in the past. I don’t expect them to start now.

Bill Wallace (Ballymena RFC chairman)