Due to the shocking wintry conditions of last weekend there was no rugby played by Ballyclare teams and earlier in the week the 1st XV had to train indoors as they continue to prepare for the Powerade Towns Cup final at Ravenhill on Easter Monday. The forecast for the weather over the next few days may not be the best but it is hoped that ground conditions for the final will be firm to allow the Clare side to play their normal free flowing game.The match against City of Derry 2nd XV hopefully will be an open affair with some decent rugby from both sides. This will be the first time that the 2nd XV from the City of Derry club has appeared in the final and they intend to give it their best shot . They currently play in Section 2 of the Senior Ulster clubs 2nd teams which is not a terribly competitive league with a big variation in standards, some one sided results and several cry offs by some of the teams. The latter problem also applies to the so called Conference League where these Senior 2nd teams get the chance to play against Qualifying League clubs such as Ballyclare and others across the province but far too often these games are also called off.
CITY OF DERRY 2nd XV SEASON
The City of Derry club has a good record in the Towns Cup final but from several decades ago. They have won it on eleven occasions including way back in 1883 and 1889 but the only recent success was in 2009 when the 1st Xv managed to return to the All Ireland league. This season their 2nd XV in their league have had 4 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses and a walk over. In their Conference League matches they have had 2 wins,3 losses and 1 postponement On their way to the final all their games were at home and thet recorded wins over Randalstown, Rainey 2nds and Enniskillen. Their captain is Mike Ryan – they appear to have a useful back row and a reliable out half. Their 1st Xv is doing well in All Ireland 2A and have moved into the top four places.
BALLYCLARE 1st XV SEASON
Under coach Bob Young Ballyclare have had their best season for several years and again have challenged for promotion out of Qualifying 2 They have won 13 and only lost 2 in the league; lost 1 Conference game, won all four Towns Cup ties, won 1 and lost 1 Junior Cup games and won 3 pre season friendlies. In the Towns Cup there were three home wins over Ards 2nds 45-0, Donaghadee 11-3, Dromore 27-3 and of course the epic away win over Omagh in the semi final 19-13. Ballyclare have appeared in nine Towns Cup finals -1973 lost 58-7 to Ballymena 2nds; 1976 won 19-6 v Magherafelt (Rainey O.B.); 1978 won 18-6 v Armagh; 1979 lost 6-3 v Ballymena 2nds; 1980 won 15-3 v City of Derry 1st Xv after a replay; 1986 won 18-4 v Magherafelt.;1992 lost 9-3 v Carrick; 1993 lost 23-8 v Banbridge; 2004 won 30-26 in a superb final v Coleraine;
TEAM SELECTION FOR FINAL
This season Ballyclare have lost almost half a team due to injuries and players moving. These include -Chris Coburn,captain Mo Finlay who has recovered and played first full game in semi final; Nigel Moore, Gary Clotworthy, James jackson, Gareth Byers who also has now recovered,J.J.Baird who has returned from England, Andy Wylie, Craig Wallace who had scored 5 tries in games and Rodney Hall.
For the final which hopefully will not be affected by the weather the Ballyclare team is likely to be similar to that which played so well in the semi final away to Omagh
Full back -Robert Smith . He came up from the Seconds when Byers was injured and has taken over as the regular place kicker. A former out half at Ballyclare High he is also a key all rounder for Templepatrick Cricket Club. His father Les was part of the High School Cup winning team of 1973 and a strong centre for Ballyclare and Ballymena. Robert is a strong runnin g counter attack full back who had one of his best games in the semi final.
Right Wing -Mark Weatherup also was recently promoted from the 2nd XV and can show pace -he had a fine game against Dromore when he scored a vital try. There could be a challenge for this position from J.J Baird who was the regular wing early in the season and has returned from England -the latter may well be on the bench .
Left Centre -Stuart Cusack -yet another of the backs who has been promoted from the 2nd XV following injuries to Clotworthy and Jackson.He played at Ballyclare High and in the club on the wing initially but has become a p[owerful centre both in defence and attack and has scored tries at important times . A strong tackler who is never intimidated by opposing backs or forwards
Right Centre -David Clarke -Has recently come in at centre following those injuries. He has already played at Ravenhill with Ballyclare High and though originally a very strong and intelligent centre he has a lot of experience at flanker which was notable in his first game for the team away to Larne earlier in the season. A very brave attacking player he both creates and finishes off moves in conjunction with .Lawther and Cusack. David scored one of the important tries at Omagh he is the nephew of a former Clare front row forward Bill McMullan.
Left Wing -Nathan Loughlin can play either on the wing or at centre. In fact in the quarter final against Dromore after a very early injury to Gary Clotworthy, Nathan moved into the centre and had an outstanding game scoring one and making another try. He showed good early season form at centre and since going to the wing he is a key defensive player and always is available at breakdowns as well as being a good tackler.
Out Half -Nial Lawther ,another ex Ballyclare High back with two brothers playing at the school. He came into the team as a teenager last season and took over from Ian Russell showing a real panache for moving the ball and making telling breaks which have led to many scores either for himself or some of his team mates.Nial is in many ways the play maker of the side and coach Bob Young appopinted hi m as a very young skipper this year when Mo Finlay was injured. It is hoped that the open spaces of Ravenhill will suit his style and initiate several attacking moves.
Scrum Half -Collie Morrow -one of the older (32) players and more experienced players and a past 1st XV captain. On his day he is one of the best scrum halves in Junior rugby who has a good left foot which allows him to make box kicks which at times could be better used by chasing players. He links well with the back row which is another key area of the Clare team Collie will always be remembered for the 2004 Towns Cup win when he returned from the sin bin to score and convert from close to the touch line a try that won the match narrowly 30-26 to the chagrin of Coleraine R.F.C.
Prop Forward Al Boyd -Yet another ex Ballyclare High pupil the agricultural salesman is one of the stronger props in Qualifying 2.This season he has shown more mobility in the loose and has managed to get scores from close in. A brother of second row Rob he was a long standing member of Straid Young Farmers Club.
Hooker -Mo Finlay from County Fermanagh is ateacher in Cambridge House Grammar School and was appointed as captain of the team in his second year at the Clare.Unfortunately a knee injury made him unavailable for several months but he returned to action a month ago with the 2nd Xv and then the semi final was pressed into the hooker position after Wylie was injured at Bangor and Wallace left for Australia Mo is a prop so the team now has three in the front row -he did well with the art of lineout throwing in the semi final and must continue to work on this ploy.
Prop Forward -Rory Henderson is the youngest of the forwards and returned from Ballymena -he too is a former pupil of the High School and was promoted following injuries to Finlay and Hall. he has continued to work hard at the set scrums and is a very valuable forward in the loose
Second Row -Robert Boyd a bank official is important in the lineouts along with fellow lock McKinstry. He has made a great comeback from a knee injury over a year ago which threatened to halt his career. He has shown himself to be one of the top ball carriers this season and makes ground in midfield from rucks and lineouts. Robert is one of the real work horses of the team and a atrong scrummager.
Second Row -Graeme McKinstry is the main lineout forward and can play either in the second row or back row. He covers an immense amount of ground in both attack and defenceand scored a key try against Dromore in the Cup as well as returning home early from holiday to play in the semi final.He is also one of the younger forwards in a fairly experienced pack. His father Tom played senior rugby at Ballymena and later refereed the game.
Flanker -Gary Weatherup is the brother of Mark and was originally a pacey winger who was a regular try scorer. His pace on the flank and his tackling helps his non stop style as he is a key man in attack and in defence as shown in a try saving tackle at Omagh.Gary`s uncle is Harry Gaston one of the best flankers ev er seen at the Clare and one of the players who helped enable the club to challenge for league honours and an All Ireland play off only to be edged out by Banbridge
Number Eight -Michael Rainey arrived at the Clare this season having played senior rugby at Dungannon where he was captain a couple of years ago. He is another of the catalysts who gives the team a lot of go forward ball as well as linking well with scrum half Morrow and flanker Logan. As well as scoring tries he has shown himself to be most valuable in both lineouts and loose
Flanker -Willie Logan is the oldest man on the team at 34 but in many ways he is the busiest as the regular starter of moves from restarts .Like his other two back row partners he is part of a very strong unit in the team. Willie is a past captain and also was on the Ulster Juniors Xv for close to a decade having played around thirty times for that team. He is one of two men to have played in the 2004 Cup winning side and has been a great servant to the White Hares club.
Coach -Bob Young is now into his third season at the Cloughan and the former Queens and Ballymena lock forward has seen his team challenge each year for the title. He has encouraged his charges to work harder and it now appears that his commitment is coming to fruition as this year the team has proved it is well capable of playing at a higher level. The coach deserves to see this team making a major achievement. Bob has been assisted by Ian Brown who as coach took the Clare to wins in both the Junior and Towns Cup
Manager -Peter Kirk apart from being Vice Chairman of the club has been the team manager for the past few seasons His is arole which is most vital and just this week he was hoping to arrange training for the team at a venue unaffected by the recent heavy snow
Substitutes -the club is allowed five subs for the final on Easter Monday at Ravenhill (2-30 p.m.) They will be selected from the following -Andy Wylie , Ian Holmes,Rodney Hall, J.J. Baird,G.Byers,A.Wardrop,M.Stevenson,P.Robinson,P.Morrow
APPEAL FOR SUPPORT
It is expected that the famous White Hare may make an appearance at the final to replace the Ulster mascot that seems to be running low on fuel at present. The club is appealing for as many people as possible to travel to Ravenhill from all over East Antrim to cheer on Bob Youngs men as they try to capture the oldest trophy in Ulster rugby.
