Lisburn are back on track

FOLLOWING their earlier loss to Bangor in the Qualifying League, and a well below par performance against Dromore in the Junior Cup, Lisburn at last got their season back on track with a well deserved, if hard fought match, against a resurgent Randalstown at Blaris last Saturday.

The game commenced with a minutes’ silence in memory of Nevin Spence and the Spence family, with the Under 19s of Lisburn and Ballyclare following suit on the adjoining pitch.

Watched by Ulster player Paddy McAllister, currently in injury rehab, Lisburn commenced the game determined to make up for their earlier performances and with Randalstown going well following their two wins over Carrick and Larne, a good game was in prospect. However it was Randalstown who struck first blood with a simple penalty to take a three point lead, a lead which was cancelled out five minutes later with a Crowe effort for Lisburn. Mark was standing in for the three unavailable scrum halves in the number 9 shirt and indeed he had a distinguished display there.

Lisburn set pieces were holding their own up front, despite an occasional wayward lineout, but the back row of Gilkinson, Evans and Hill were playing exceptionally well in defence and many of the Randalstown movements were stemmed at source.

There was plenty of go forward ball supplied to the backline and outhalf Adam Hanley put his centres Gibb and Scott into space regularly. From one such move winger Adam Melville cut a great line to provide the first try and while the difficult conversion failed, Crowe was on hand to kick another penalty on 25 minutes to give Lisburn a deserved 11-3 lead, a lead which they preserved until half time.

After the interval, Randalstown came back strongly and were rewarded with another penalty to narrow the gap to 11-6 but with Lisburn starting to dominate the loose exchanges, especially through the hard yards won by David Curry, Tommy Thompson and Phil Jefferson, the Lisburn backs profited immensely and at the end of the third quarter a searing break by full back Scott Hughes saw him round the last line of the Randalstown defence to score a great try. Another good backline move ten minutes later saw Stuart Evans on the end of a passing movement to the left wing and the big flanker drove through the defence to score near the posts. The Crowe conversion brought up what was the final 23-6 scoreline, despite every effort to get that fourth try and a bonus point.

This was a good win for what was by and large a young Lisburn team and eighteen year olds Jack Connan. Adam Hanley, Peter Ireland and David Scott all excelled.