James Kirk reports
Belfast Telegraph Photo Credit

Ballynahinch suffered their second heartbreaking loss to champions Clontarf in the space of four weeks and will be disappointed that they let a winning position slip away. To their credit, Clontarf never know when they are beaten and have made winning these kind of close games an art form but until Ballynahinch start getting over the line in close games versus the top teams then they will struggle to break the glass ceiling and qualify for the elusive playoffs.

Ballynahinch dominated the early possession and territory but had to settle for a well-struck Conor Rankin penalty as the Clontarf defence held firm. The big visiting pack then began to turn the screw at the set piece and after their much vaunted maul was repelled from close range they shifted possession quickly to send centre Alex O’Grady under the posts after half an hour. Five minutes later Ballynahinch were penalised at the breakdown deep in Clontarf territory and a quick transition and kick ahead almost sent the away side over in the corner. The Clontarf pack did the rest with lock Fionn Gilbert going over from close range before Rankin narrowed the gap with another penalty as the half drew to a close.

Clontarf fed off another Ballynahinch error early in the second half when a knock-on from the kick-off gave them field position and after the forwards mauled their way towards the line the ball was quickly fed out for Peter Maher to score in the corner and take the lead out to eleven points. The hitherto blunt looking Ballynahinch attack then came to life and were denied what looked like a certain try by a deliberate knock-on from Maher. Despite a yellow card the penalty try was not given but Ryan Connolly mauled over soon after to give his side a lifeline. The home side had their tails up and roared on by a large support they tore into Clontarf, eventually taking the lead with fifteen minutes to go after sustained pressure and a run of Clontarf penalties saw a penalty try given and two more yellow cards for the away side. Ballynahinch were strong favourites at this point against thirteen men but the penalty and error count continued to pile up against them and they failed to keep the Clontarf pack at arm’s length, allowing their opponents to drive over through Alan Spicer’s bonus point try.

Back to full strength Clontarf saw out the game in relative comfort and Adam Craig will again be disappointed that his side couldn’t hold on. Their struggle to shift the huge Clontarf forwards off the ball at the breakdown on three different occasions deep in opposition territory was symptomatic of the match and indeed the league in general. Size matters and when Clontarf combine this with phenomenal belief and low error count it is easy to see why they have two All-Ireland trophies in the cabinet at Castle Avenue.

There is no respite for Ballynahinch as they travel to second placed St.Mary’s in a fortnight seeking a win which would halt their slide down the table amid a hugely difficult run of fixtures. All support welcome.