Positive signs from despite Cooke loss

BALLYMONEY 0

Ballymoney First XV returned to action this week when they played Cooke.

Unfortunately it turned out to be a 7-0 loss for Ballymoney, but it was a very much a case of what could’ve been as Captain Chris Beverland explained.

“From the first whistle we really took the game to Cooke with early line breaks by Chris Watson and James Campbell but we weren’t able to finish them off with tries,” he said.

“Unfortunately against the run of play, with a deflection from a 22 drop out, Cooke ran in to score a try under the posts.

“Our forwards really fronted up and got us back into dangerous positions with a couple of pushovers held up and an unfortunate drop running over the line.

“In the second half we put Cooke on massive pressure again and we were held up on a couple more occasions. We had another couple of drops going over the line, which was frustrating for us.

“We played like a different team on Saturday, our desire, aggression and tempo was back, but unfortunately our execution just left us. There are lots of positives and I’m confident our first win won’t be long coming.

“Our pack worked tirelessly and our backs looked dangerous when they got the ball, so much to be excited about in the next game.

“The guys are looking forward to the Ballyclare game, and it’ll be another good contest.

“Unfortunately our injury list grew again on Saturday with a hand injury to David Holmes playing in the pack. We also lose Tommy Skelton who heads off travelling to Australia for a period of months, and we wish him well from everyone at the club.”