Ballynahinch enjoyed an excellent victory over Old Belvedere in their final home fixture of the season. Captained by Reuben Crothers in the absence of the injured Claytan Milligan, they played at a high tempo throughout and did not allow the heavy Belvedere pack to dominate as they had in the return fixture.

Aaron Sexton opened the scoring with a trademark burst and Ballynahinch went further ahead when the impressive Matthew Booth went over. This seemed to kick the away side into gear and they enjoyed their best period of the match, converting pressure into points with a tap penalty from close range getting them on the scoreboard and closing the gap to two points when the ball was spun wide following a midfield line break.

Ballynahinch steadied themselves with the help of some indiscipline from their opponents, punishing a needless high tackle with a kick to the corner and a maul try from Josh Hanlon with the last act of the half.

The second half was all about the home side. Another maul try from Hanlon took them further ahead and they began to play with more freedom as they attacked towards the clubhouse. Sexton scored in the corner following a quick tap penalty and replacement centre Quinn Armstrong added a final flourish with a late score.

Shorn of any Ulster players for most of the second half of the season, Adam Craig has seen his young players step up seamlessly into the AIL spotlight, gaining vital experience at the very top of club rugby in Ireland. Home grown talent like Ryan Connolly, Matthew Booth, Harry Mckeown, Quinn Armstrong, Ryan Halpin and the Bennett twins have a big future at Ballymacarn Park.

The season finishes in Limerick this weekend at Young Munster. All support welcome.