Carrick up to second with bonus-point success at Holywood

Winger Kyle Jordan got the ball rolling with an unconverted score after five minutes.

Aaron McKinney then extended the visitors’ advantage when he cut through the Holywood backs with a nimble step inside full-back for a converted 23rd-minute score.

Five minutes later Chris Rogers carried the ball up the middle of the field running directly through the attempted tackles to score under the posts with Luke Whittal adding the extras to open up a 19-point margin.

The visitors secured the bonus point try before half-time when Curtis Rea fed Andy Kinkaid who crashed over the line under the posts, leaving Whittal with a straightforward conversion.

There was no let-up for Holywood during the second session when Aaron McKinney showed his skill and experience with a darting run through the defence to feed Rea who side-stepped the full-back and beat him in a race to the line.

It was a strong, dominant performance by the young Carrick side showing that they have the ability to still contest for league leaders’s spot, if they maintain their drive and enthusiasm and have the confidence to stick to the game plan.

Captain Jonny Cullen was pleased with his teams overall display, but knows this week’s fixture is the real tester against Coleraine at Tom Simms Memorial Park.

The Bannsiders are third in the table and edged to a 26-25 win at Grosvenor in their last Qualifying 2 outing.