Dalriada rugby sides are on the up after a trip to Down

With Portadown College not able to field against Dalriada 1st XV the Ballymoney boys took up the opportunity to play the County Down side as they now move towards the Christmas break.

Right from the kick off both teams had already started their battle for territory.

Some good kicking out of hand from Timmy Emerson helped Dalriada gain early momentum.  

After pressure from the Dalriada side, they won a penalty, which Captain Timmy Emerson converted.

Dalriada’s intensity at the break down and tackle area helped the visitors retain possession.

Once again Timmy Emerson put through a lot of intelligent kicks to pin back Down High in their own half.

Throughout the game both teams showed excellent defence and both teams found it hard to find any sufficient penetration.

Dalriada entered half time holding a slim lead.

The second half was a tough test for both teams, unable to squeeze through each other’s defence.

Down High had two good opportunities to score but Dalriada’s defence and hustle kept the home side out.

Into the last quarter some good tackling and scrummaging by the Dalriada put them into good field position.

Another good hit forced a mistake from a Down player spilling the ball to Scott Malcomson hands, who with still some work to do, finished off for a well deserved try.

Dalriada were able to see out the game to notch up another impressive win 10-0 making the long journey back all the more enjoyable.

* The junior sides at u13 and u14 levels had no fixture on Saturday and took the opportunity to play matches between their respective squads. The morning had also a charity angle with all players contributing a £1 towards the IRFU Charitable trust in aid of injured rugby players.

The u13 game was a very competitive affair with the lead changing several times and ending up 17-15.

In the u14 game the score finished 40-39 with a conversion kicked in the final seconds to secure a one point win.

The morning proved to be a very enjoyable affair with both games played to the full but in a marvellous competitive spirit.

There were many parents in attendance and a good sum raised for a very important cause.