Final heartache for Senior Sevens

The tournament was made up of six teams who played in a ‘round robin’ competition with the top two teams progressing to the final.

In the first game Route played Ardstraw and started well, running in three first half tries scored by Adam Kerr and a brace by flying winger Robert Hanna. Andrew Skelton was successful with one of the conversions.

In the second half Sam Kyle scored a try which was converted but credit to Ardstraw who fought back with a converted try. However, the Ballymoney boys sealed an emphatic win with another Kyle try with Skelton adding the conversion to make the final score 31-7.

The next game was against Ballymena and again the Route team started strongly running in three first half tries from Robert Hanna, Sam Kyle and Matthew Dunlop who added a conversion.

In the second half the Ballymoney boys played some great Sevens rugby with Andrew Skelton scoring a converted try closely followed by two converted tries from the impressive Matthew Dunlop. Ballymena scored a converted try at the end of the game to make the final score 38-7.

The third match was against a big Knocknamuckley team. Out half Stuart Fallows grabbed his first try of the day but Knocknamuckley levelled the score straight from the restart.

Robert Hanna then used his blistering pace to score a try which was converted but the opposition also scored a second try before half time.

In the second half the Route boys really turned on the style with Hanna grabbing two more tries to complete his hat trick. Forward Adam Kerr scored another good try and centre Andrew Skelton completed the scoring with a try.

He also was successful with three of the conversions to give his team an impressive win by 38 points to 12.

A long interval combined with the consumption of the tasty burgers from the barbeque did little to prepare the boys for the next game against Portadown and the Ballymoney boys found themselves 12-0 down at half time, due to a combination of apathy and indigestion!

The performance improved in the second half and Stuart Fallows reduced the deficit to score a try which was converted by the versatile prop Sam Kyle. However, the final whistle blew and the boys lost 12-7.

After a stern team talk the boys took on a strong Larne team in a determined manner and produced their best performance of the day.

By half time the Route team was 28-0 ahead, Stuart Fallows scoring twice with Robert Hanna and Adam Kerr also grabbing tries. Andrew Skelton continued his fine kicking form by successfully kicking all four conversions. Robert Hanna again outpaced the opposition to add a final try in the second half which was converted by Matthew Dunlop to give the Ballymoney boys a superb 35-0 win.

In the final Route faced the unbeaten Portadown team, who stunned them with three tries in quick succession.

Just before half time Route at last burst into life and Andrew Skelton scored a try to reduce the arrears by 12 points.

In the second half Portadown again started strongly scoring two more tries. However, the Ballymoney boys refused to lie down and Robert Hanna scored a try which was converted to mark the score 31-14 to the opposition. For the remaining five minutes of the game, Route gave it everything they had, with sheer determination and effort producing tries from Matthew Dunlop and Andrew Skelton. Both tries were converted to reduce the deficit to three points but time ran out and Portadown won by 31 points to 28 in a thrilling final.

Although disappointed to lose the final, the Route team can take great credit from their performance in this Province-wide competition. All members of the team are eligible to take part next year and hopefully go one better and win the trophy!

Route Team:Adam Kerr, Daniel McCord, Sam Kyle, Matthew Dunlop,

Stuart Fallows, Andrew Skelton, Robert Hanna, Paul Bartlett