Rugby chairman thrilled as floodlighting project is completed

Mark Jackson of main contractors P&L Electrics hands over the documentation for the Eaton Park floodlighting project to Ballymena Rugby Club chairman Bill Wallace. Also included are Stuart Kyle of White Young and Green, consulting engineers, and Ollie Smith, Ballymena RFC club member who advised and managed the project for the club.

Last Friday I met Mark Jackson, from P&L Electrics, for the official handover of the documentation and the keys to switch on the lights and that marks the end of their involvement.

We had seen from the previous Saturday, when we switched on the lights for the second half of the game against Banbridge, that everything works perfectly and that we now have a brilliant set of lights.

Readings taken when the lights were being set up show that in every part of the pitch the light levels achieved exceed the original specification, so to say that we are happy with what we have is something of an understatement.

There isn’t space here to thank all the various people who have been involved, but it is worth recording that P&L Electrics finished the work two weeks ahead of schedule and were a pleasure to work with, while NIE have been particularly helpful.

Funding came from the Borough Council’s enabling scheme, and to acknowledge that we have invited Councillor Audrey Wales, Mayor of Ballymena, to perform the official switching ceremony before the Bruff game next Saturday.

That game will be the last All Ireland League game before the Christmas break, by which time we will be about half way through the AIL programme, with seven played and eight left in the new year, the last fixture of the season taking us to Barnhall in mid-April.

Having played six games we have won five and lost one, but that solitary defeat, against Banbridge, is difficult to explain as, coming into that fixture we hadn’t lost and they hadn’t won. However, we got things back on track last weekend when we travelled south to play newly promoted Naas, who hadn’t lost on their own ground for nearly two years, and came away with an 18-14 victory.

It wasn’t easy, but I have frequently talked about the resilience of our squad and their ability to grind out a win, and last weekend they needed all that determination against Naas.

It was really good to see so many travelling supporters for this game, and I’m sure that the win made the journey home all that much more enjoyable.

We are now in December and the minds of most people will be turning to Christmas, and we too have a number of events planned to mark the festive season. Our Christmas lunch will take place in the Clubhouse on Sunday, 15th and our Carol Service will be held in St Patrick’s Church on Tuesday, 17th December.

For the first time the music will be provided by the band of Cambridge House GS, and everyone is welcome to this traditional service of nine lessons and carols, organised as usual by the Reverend Terry Kerr.

The Mini section have their own festivities planned and we look forward to the boys and girls doing their own decorating of the clubhouse and performing at the Carol Service.