Dalriada lose by anarrow marginto Wallace High

DALRIADA rugby team lost by a slender margin against Wallace.
Dalriada against Wallace.Dalriada against Wallace.
Dalriada against Wallace.

After a great result against RBAI the previous weekend, a confident Dalriada team welcomed a strong Wallace side to Ballymoney.

From the start both sides looked good with ball in hand, and a good kick from Timmy Emerson pinned Wallace back in their 22. Good pressure from the Dalriada defence resulted in a penalty which Emerson converted, giving them a 3-0 advantage.

Dalriada were playing an excellent tactical game, pinning Wallace back in their 22 and playing most of the game in their half. Even with all the pressure from the Dalriada attack the Wallace defence held strong, stopping Dalriada from scoring. Another penalty in the Wallace half enabled Emerson to give Dalriada a 6-0 lead going into half time.

Dalriada looked to be on the front foot after their first half performance. They played a similar territorial game, making sure to play all the rugby in the Wallace half. Dalriada looked like scoring early with good runs from Peter Dunlop and Ryan Malcomson in the backs, but the Wallace defence held strong.

After gaining possession in the Dalriada half a simple lapse in concentration gave Wallace their first try-scoring opportunity which they took, bringing the score to 6-5. Dalriada came right back at it, getting another penalty in the Wallace half which Emerson again converted. This gave Dalriada a 9-5 lead. They looked to have closed the game out but a break from the Wallace full back gave them the chance to steal the game away from Dalriada. A good offload put the Wallace winger over the line, giving Wallace a 10-9 win. A disappointing end to an otherwise outstanding Dalriada performance.

* The 2nd XV also came up against Wallace at home and looked to build upon their good performances of previous weeks. The game started with high intensity from both sides however Wallace were able to break through the Dalriada defence and score a try very early on. Shortly afterwards Dalriada’s Adam Barton charged down a kick and scored in the corner. This wasn’t converted. Louis Warke Dalriada’s fullback side then stepped several defenders and this allowed him to score under the posts. This wasn’t converted. Late in the 1st half Jacob Curry caught a ball within his own 22 and found Jamie Forsythe in support. Jamie was then able to beat several defenders and make it to the halfway before off loading to Matthew Kernohan.It was 15-15 at half time but Wallace won 39-15.

* The Junior teams all travelled away to Antrim. The Medallion team looked to bounce back coming back from a tough game the previous week at Belfast Inst. Dalriada were determined to get a good win.

Thomas Hunter went over the line three times in the first half converting one leaving a score at half time, 0-17. The second half began with Josh Brown continuing to make impressive tackles and runs out of position, from centre to openside flanker. Jack Elliot made two breaks down the left wing and scored twice after being move to wing when year 10 pupil Stuart Moore came on in fly half. He had two assists and made some brilliant tackles along with centre Connor Creith also from year 10.

Dennis Posternack also got a try and Thomas hunter scores two more to make a grand total of five tries. Ross Fallows scored with a run from the 22 in his own half to score under the post Connor Creith converted it. To finish it off captain Scott Gamble ran through the defence and used his agility and excellent footwork to beat the 15 with a memorable sidestep, Stewart Moore converted it leaving a final score of 0-56. Man of the match went to Josh Brown for his brilliant performance both in defence and attack!

* The under 14’s had another impressive win running out 51-0 winners, Lewis Henry scored several tries with Robbie Doherty, Matthew Beggs Harry McMullan all looking to push their claim for a A team place.

* The U13s also travelled to Antrim and won comfortably scoring 8 tries. They took a squad of 21 players and all showed that they are capable of playing at this level.

Right from the start the correct calls were made with Matthew Carton, once again showing his pace and finishing skills. A try for him in the first minute was followed by 3 more before half-time. Nathan Philipson scored from a quick tap and go and Adam Wright was on hand to score after Jude Black had kicked through. The score at the interval was 31-0.

After the interval, Antrim came back into the game with Dalriada being guilty of losing their concentration at crucial times. Lack of support and poor judgement led to a couple of lost scoring chances.

However, Thomas Hunter burst through a few challenges to score their only try in the second half. Jude Black added 3 conversions during the game.

A couple of late slips let Antrim to score 1 try and they nearly scored a second. In the last 5 minutes Dalriada upped their game and started to spin the ball well. Oliver Watt had a couple of good runs on the wing after coming on in the second half. All the replacements came on and were asked to help out in unfamiliar positions. Hopefully the team can iron out a few mistakes in time for Sullivan this Saturday. ( FT 5-46)

Team: L Irwin, J Allen, J Fleck (L McAuley), T Hunter(H Ross), M Carton(O Watt), J Black, P Carson(C Wright), L Pollock, P Wright, N Phillipson, A Wright, C Clarke, L Clements(J Murdoch), B Armstrong, D Currie(J Nevin).

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