The Maxol sponsored 1st XV entertained Lisburn at Tom Simms Memorial Park on Saturday afternoon for their last home game of the season and they were hoping to continue their form from the previous week. The league table suggested that the game would be a tight affair with both sitting mid table. And the Carrick team will have felt unlucky to have lost the earlier meeting between the two teams by a single point.
Just like last weekend the game started in wet and windy conditions and on a soaking pitch, however Carrick began the better and secured a penalty in the opening minute. Whitall converted, Score 3-0 to the hosts.
The Carrick team continued to exert control and just a few minutes later Hooker Neil Hanna scored a try underneath the posts. The score came from some lovely line breaks by Centre Jonny Cullen and a few gaps being found in the Lisburn defence by the loose forwards, Hanna glided in defending a few tackles on his way over the whitewash. Whittall added the conversion to lkeave the score Carrick 10-0 Lisburn.
The game seemed to drop slightly in terms of the intensity but in the 23rd minute the visitors struck back with a try of their own which came from a line-out ball which was mauled forward before being spread quickly out the backs. The Lisburn centre evaded a few tackles to score underneath the sticks. Score Carrick 10-7 Lisburn. However this was to be the only real attacking threat in which Lisburn posed throughout the game and two more penalties before half time saw the Carrick team’s lead and confidence grow.
Half time – Carrick 16-7 Lisburn
The first 20 minutes of the second-half was a rather scrappy affair and the best thing to be said for it was that at least the rain had stopped. And on the hour mark the home side also lost Curtis Rea through injury played the rest of the match with 14 men. This seemed to spur the home side who again started to retain possession and build pressure. And minutes later they were rewarded with a penalty which Whitall converted with ease. Score Carrick 19-7 Lisburn.
With Lisburn also going down to 14 men through injury, Carrick seemed content to ease of gas and try to protect their lead. With 10 minutes remaining Carrick put together a good passage of play and looked like scoring only to be denied by a late tackle on out-half Luke Whitall. Whitall managed to compose himself to score the resulting penalty to take the score to 22-7, and this was how the match ended.
With a little more composure Carrick could easily have increased the margin of victory. However they won’t be disappointed with the victory. There where some stand out performances from Ross Crymble and Jonny Cullen.
Coach Warren McClean will be happy with result and he will be pleased that the recent improvement in performance means that Carrick look likely to finish the year in the top-half of the table. Something which looked incredibly unlikely in January.
Carrick team (15-1): A.McKinney, J.Wady, J.Cullen, J.Sheriff, B.Alexander, L.Whitall, M.Patterson. R.McGonigle, R.Crymble, C.Rea, C.Ferris, A.Kincaid (captain), R.Williams, N.Hanna, A.Gibney.
