Ballynahinch U18 47 Carrick U18 0

Colin Donaldson reports

Ballynahinch continued their winning run with a big home victory over Carrick. They flew out of the blocks with two early tries and never looked back. Scrum half Ethan Donaldson went over untouched with a smart pick and go before Jackson Buchanan tidied up a loose ball in midfield and beat a few defenders to score. The ever reliable Joshua Woods then exerted full control on the game with some superb kicking out of hand, keeping his forwards on the front foot and pinning Carrick deep in their own half. Hooker Ryan McMullan profited from one such kick as he scored from a well executed driving maul and prop Charlie Willis was next on the scoresheet following a sharp piece of work from Donaldson. Tiernan McCann then pressurised Carrick into a mistake as they tried to clear their lines and pounced on the loose ball for another score taking the rampant Ballynahinch side to a thirty three point lead at the break.

The second half followed a similar pattern with excellent carrying from the Ballynahinch pack providing a platform for their backs. Centres James Lewis and Owen Hamill scored a try apiece to add some gloss to the scoreboard and maintain their 100% league record. An away trip to Strabane will test that record next week.

Saturday also saw the return of Harvey Campbell after a long layoff through illness. He has been a stalwart of this group for many years and it was great to see him back in a Hinch jersey.