Portadown RFC Notes: I XV 61 v Ballymena RFC II XV 5: REPORT LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JNR CUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 2nd round of the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup saw Portadown travel to Eaton Park to face Ballymena 2nds with a place in the quarter finals up for grabs. Things didn’t start well for the home team who lost their hooker to an injury in the warm up. To make matters worse Portadown started at a ferocious pace with their outside backs looking threatening from the outset. After several skirmishes into the Ballymena 22 the visitors started the score board ticking over when hooker Malcolm Allister burrowed over after a good drive from a line out. David Whitten added the extras from wide on the right. Next it was the the turn of the Portadown back line to get in on the act. Winger Rab Reid broke well from inside his own half to stretch the home defence and quick hands from centre David Busby released live wire full back Andrew Chambers who scampered home from 15 yards. Whitten again added the extras to make it 14-0 to Portadown after 15 minutes.

It didn’t take take long for the Ports to strike again. After a fantastic turnover at at ruck from hooker Allister, the ball was moved quickly through the backs to replacement Marc Beggs who finished from 20 yards out with his first touch of the ball. Whitten converted from wide on the left to put the visitors 21-0 ahead after 27 minutes. The Portadown pack were in the ascendency against their hosts with the back row trio of Gary Hall, Diarmaid O’Kane and Gareth McCoy wreaking havoc in the loose with some great ball carrying and support work. McCoy, deputising at number 8 for Captain Stewart Lamb, looked dangerous with ball in hand all day, breaking quickly off the back of the scrum on several occasions. It was pressure from the pack that paved the way of the next score with. Debutant Matty Maguire nipping over close to the posts to extend the lead further again Whitten converted. Hooker Allister was to the the fore again with a fine break from inside his own half deep into Ballymena territory. The ball was recycled and moved quickly to Maguire who rounded several defenders with ease to dot down wide on the right. This time Whitten hit the post with the difficult conversion.

The home team came out all guns blazing at the start of the second half putting real pace into their play at every opportunity. From a tap penalty inside their own 22, the ball was recycled quickly several times to see Ballymena get on the score sheet. Home outhalf Drysdale was just wide with the conversion. However the visitors were back in business again when the industrious Gary Hall charged down an attempted clearance kick from the restart. Thomas Halliday reacted quickest to score for the Ports. Whitten who was having a great day with the boot knocked over the conversion. With 45 minutes gone it was the turn of the Portadown pack to take the lead scoring from a well controlled driving maul. Flanker Diarmaid O’Kane was last up with the ball and once again the metronomic Whitten added the extras. The home side where throwing everything at the visitors but struggled to make any real headway against a well organised Portadown defence. The next score came from a well worked back move off a scrum with Andrew Chambers making the incision in the Ballymena defence to score a fine individual try with Whitten adding the conversion. The home team still hadn’t given up, trying at every opportunity to break out of their own 22 but Portadown continued to press and Maguire pounced on a loose pass for his hat trick score close to the final whistle. The conversion from Whitten left the final score 61-5. A tough day at the office for Ballymena whilst Portadown march on to the quarter finals. Man of the match went to Portadown Hooker Malcolm Allister.