The 2006/07 season started a little in the unknown. The end of Mr Young’s and Mr Gault’s era saw Mr Soper and Mr Shaw take over the management of the senior rugby squad. Expectations for the season were not particularly high as we would have a period of adjustment but as the year moved on, we were proved wrong….almost!

The season began very slowly, with the implementation of many new ideas taking time to be bedded into the players. An emphasis was put on strength conditioning and former pupil, Stephen Johnston, oversaw strength training before school three mornings a week. On the pitch, the big emphasis was placed on continuity and, although this took a lot of time, it became one of our strengths which at times hurt the opposition badly.

Our season began with difficult fixtures against B.R.A. and Campbell College. Both of these were lost but, through the disappointment of losing, some positives and, more importantly, areas to improve on were taken on board. We followed these two losses with two wins over Sullivan and Larne.

The season progressed slowly, as we continued to develop our new style of play and in November, at Bangor, it appeared we had begun to transfer work on the training pitch to the match environment. After playing poorly with the wind in the first half, we turned at half-time, up by only three points. With some short but direct encouragement from Mr Soper, the team put on a magnificent seven try performance of continuity and pace. Had we turned a corner?

Over the next month, we continued to play some excellent rugby and a win against future Cup opposition, Foyle, was followed by a win over Friends’, their first loss of the year. A 50 point win over Dalriada was followed by a good victory over Belfast High School, revenge for a very disappointing performance earlier in the season.

Heading into Christmas, we started to pick up one or two injuries and this hampered our progress over the break. However, a narrow loss to Coleraine and a heavy defeat to Dungannon both gave the opportunity for many younger players to experience 1st XV rugby. This added to our depth of players.

After Christmas, the emphasis was heavily directed towards the start of the Schools’ Cup campaign. This year we were entered into the second round of the Cup, a stage earlier than normal. Our first match was at home against Dalriada, a match we were expected to win comfortably. Although we were unable to rack up the points we had earlier in the year against them, we did win and were through to a third round home tie against the school Mr Soper had formerly taught in, Sullivan.

The Sullivan match was a titanic struggle, which saw the lead change hands on numerous occasions. It was this match where our senior players stood up and led from the front. Ulster Schools’ player Paul Rea was immense both on attack and defence, along with Ross Hackney, who continued to use his strength to challenge for ball on the ground. Graeme King was the final hero, however, using his speed on the wing to score a try in each half, the second with only minutes left. We snatched a 16-14 win and a place in the fourth round.

By this stage, we were settled in our team and were clear with our strengths and weaknesses and were therefore able to play a style which we all knew and could stick to. The fourth round draw saw us travel to Foyle. The team travelled up the night before and made good use of the evening together to prepare for the match. A good number of supporters travelled with high expectations and the team started in a manner to not disappoint. In the first half, Ballyclare played into a strong breeze and played very well, recycling the ball and exploiting some opportunities. After a period of sustained pressure, Paul Rea was able to use his power and speed to score. Foyle clawed their way back in the first half and, although they could not score, were able to get two drop goals to make the score 5-6 at half-time.

The second half started with huge disappointment for Ballyclare as No. 8 and captain, Ross Hackney, was sent off for foul play. This proved to be the turning point of the match and Foyle went on to win 19-5. Ross had been our most consistent and dedicated player throughout the season and his sending off, although felt by everyone else, was most upsetting for Ross himself.

After this loss, we were drawn to play Grosvenor, away, in the quarter-final of the Subsidiary Shield. This was a team who had beaten us well earlier in the year in Ballyclare. The match was another extremely closely fought battle which saw the lead change hands a number of times. However, it was Ballyclare who stood up to the mark and showed massive courage, determination and commitment to come out winners by 17-10. After the disappointment of Foyle, this was a true test of character and emphasised the progress as individuals and a team that had been made.

The semi-final drew us against Portadown at home and, although we had opportunities to win the match, we were not able to convert and the match finished in a draw, 14-14. The replay at Portadown Rugby Club was a disappointing finish to a season which at times gained great momentum. We lost 14-20 in a game where we did not perform to our best.

All in all, this season was a great learning year for many of the players and holds us in good stead for next season as many of the squad will be back. We developed an excellent defensive system, quality ball carriers and a great number of players with the ability to off load out of the tackle.

There were some notable performers amongst the squad who will be leaving. Paul Rea lifted his performances for the crucial games and showed the calibre of player he is. Ross Hackney was our most consistent player and led exceptionally well. Bill Kenny was the quiet man who performed every week to a very high standard. Graeme King was often the best back on the field in matches we played and scored a great number of tries. I would like to thank the Upper Sixth boys who are leaving and wish them all the best next year and hope that they continue to play rugby in the same passion they displayed this year. A big thanks to all the supporters who travelled all over Ulster, living the highs and lows with us. We hope to see you back next year.

To all the boys returning in September, I am sure you will continue to improve as players and strive to take the team even further.

DS

The 06/07 season was a mixed one for the 2 nd XV, with injuries across the senior teams leading to many changes, and a great number of different players turning out for the 2 nd XV throughout the year. The first match of the season saw us comprehensively beaten 33-0 at B.R.A.’s Roughfort playing fields. Initially, we were worried a poor season lay in store, yet a much changed side played a very strong Campbell College side the next week and lost narrowly 12-0 in an intense encounter. This showed the potential that lay ahead and, sure enough, a huge 36-3 victory over Sullivan Upper was had at home the next week. Captain Ross Coulter finally scored Ballyclare’s first try of the season, before man-of-the-match, Jim Neill, later scored two and provided another.

Next, Ballyclare narrowly defeated locals Larne Grammar, 11-10, before coming out the worse in a close encounter with C.A.I., 5-0. A very strong R.B.A.I. side pounced on every Ballyclare mistake and punished us 50-0, although our forwards put up a strong fight. By this stage in the season the 2 nd XV were growing closer as a team and understood we had to bounce back the next week against local rivals, Belfast High. Ballyclare won convincingly, 19-0, with new out-half, Matthew Johnston, the star performer, scoring a very memorable try.

After this, a period of injuries ensued, including Matthew Johnston, and Ballyclare’s side changed for each match. We lost narrowly against Limavady, Wallace High and a very strong Wellington 1 st XV. Some of the new players for the 2 nd XV took their chances well and claimed a good win over Foyle and Londonderry College, although players were sent off from both sides in this fiery encounter. Ballyclare brought a weakened 2 nd XV side to Dalriada, yet enjoyed a 31-0 victory. The next week we were involved in a very close match with Friends’, with a late and very impressive try from newcomer, Ross Irwin, making the difference to claim a dramatic 19-17 victory. Once again, the reliable Josh Dailly put his boot to good use. Ballyclare hammered Belfast High by over 50 points next in a match where several Belfast High players had to be sent off due to foul play. Unfortunately, Ballyclare lost away to Coleraine during the week after.

After the Christmas period, Ballyclare claimed another victory, this time over Rainey Endowed. The game was marred by another case of players being sent off from both sides. Ballyclare changed their 2 nd XV side for their next encounter against Antrim Grammar 1 st XV, which is always a close match. Yet Ballyclare claimed a very impressive 19-5 victory, with notable performances from Ryan McDonald and Jonny McKim in the pack.

Next Ballyclare had to begin their cup run, where once again we were drawn against Strabane Grammar. After a long journey, and a pointless first half, Ballyclare’s pack took control, with a maul off a lineout leading to a 10 metre drive over the try line. This match was won 12-0, with Ryan McDonald the star of a very strong pack. Ballyclare had to wait a long time to play their next round against B.R.A., who had beaten us so comprehensively in the first match of the season. A fiery and passionate match was played but Ballyclare unfortunately lost their 1 st XV squad member, Joel Adair, early on after a bad clash of heads. In a match dominated by forward play, defensive errors out wide cost Ballyclare the game and B.R.A. were flattered by the three tries they managed to score. Ballyclare were camped on B.R.A.’s line for much of the second half, yet could still not score.

Ballyclare had a very young side this year, yet many of these players turned out to be the stars. Fabian Beickhorisani and Matthew Johnston both were great players, despite suffering bad injuries. Player of the season was Andrew Purdy who was consistent throughout and never let the side down, often rucking just as good as any wing forward, despite being a scrumhalf!

Ross Coulter Yr14

Ballyclare 3 rd XV welcomed to the senior teams this year a large number of the Year 12 boys. Under the coaching of Mr Gault and Mr Lenaghan, we had an early start to the season, with our first match against B.R.A. on the 9 th September. The team was relatively new for us and so we went into the match tentatively. The result was a disappointing one, with Ballyclare losing 32 – 0. There was, however, within the match, aspects that showed that there was a promising team in the making. Ballyclare then looked with anticipation towards the next match the following week against Campbell. This match displayed yet again more promising aspects of a clinical team as Ballyclare opened the scoring in the first half. However, a failed conversion attempt kept the scoreline at 5 -0. Campbell then immediately went on the attack and Ballyclare were forced to defend their territory for most of the remainder of the match. A combination of missed tackles and unworked lineouts resulted in the scoreline finishing 5 – 19 in favour of the Campbell side. Matthew Hopper was then moved to play hooker for the 2 nd XV and, as a result, this left us without a specialist hooker. Matthew Luney was then drafted in to throw the lineouts for the side and Michael Crothers hooked in the scrum with Matthew Armstrong brought in to prop.

On our first Wednesday match of the season, Ballyclare were set to take on Sullivan. Ballyclare dominated the whole match keeping Sullivan under enormous amounts of pressure and opening the scoring through captain, Adam Scott. Ballyclare kept the pressure on constantly through the match and were set to take their first win of the season when a soft try put Sullivan back in the game. The match finished 5 - 5 but was not a representative result of a Ballyclare side that dominated the whole match.

Ballyclare then faced R.B.A.I. on 30 th September away from home and were daunted by the task that faced them, as they knew they would be facing a very strong and well-drilled Inst. side. Ballyclare played consistently well throughout the match but quickly realised that fitness levels were not matched to those of the Inst. side. The match finished 42 – 0. Ballyclare then had a two-week gap until their next match and so the focus of our training sessions was upon fitness and phases of play. Mr Gault consistently made the forward pack perform to his standards and the same can be said for Mr Lenaghan and the backs. Ballyclare 3 rd XV then moved into their match against Limavady Grammar, the team that had knocked us out of the previous year’s 3 rd XV Cup. Ballyclare went into the match with yet again another reformed squad, incorporating a few of the 2 nd XV players that had been moved down. They went immediately on the attack with Matthew Armstrong scoring two of the Ballyclare tries and Josh Dailly making a conversion. Matthew Hall scored the second try of the three and Ballyclare were in the lead at once. Ballyclare kept the pressure on throughout the remainder of the match and, although Limavady scored twice, it wasn’t enough to beat a Ballyclare side that had eventually begun to find their feet. The scoreline at the end read 17 – 10.

The mid-season was well under way and Ballyclare suffered yet again more defeats, but the biggest victory came against Wellington College, a match which finished 42 – 8.

Ballyclare then moved on to the 3 rd XV Cup which was to be against Ballymena, the most formidable opponents that we had faced during the season as they had previously beaten us 44 – 0. Suffice to say we were slightly nervous but, surprisingly, we were given a bye into the second round as Ballymena were unable to play. So we next prepared for Down High School who we were to play on Wednesday 14 th February. The team was well prepared for the match and Matthew Armstrong and Peter Blair had arrived at the eleventh hour to take the positions of kicker and lineout thrower. These two players had proven themselves to be clinical in previous matches and were of great benefit to the team. The match day came and Ballyclare were optimistic. The match itself was closely fought, with Ballyclare proving to be the better side, but success was jeopardised as a result of surrendering too many unnecessary penalties. Chris Jennings and Josh Dailly were very effective in position kicking. The last few minutes were probably the most anxious minutes that our team had ever faced, as Ballyclare only trailed 13 – 7 and a converted try would put us in front. With a quick substitution, Jonny Mc Clurg came onto the pitch and instantly showed his worth, as he broke the Down defence and sprinted for the line. He was, however, held by the full back, but Ballyclare were revitalised as they could now smell victory. The pivotal moment came with Steven Cairns receiving the ball and a valiant forward effort took him over the line and under the posts. Ballyclare were now only a point behind and seemed assured of victory. However, with the failed conversion, Ballyclare lost by a point. The match was a display of the best rugby by the 3 rd XV all season, with the pack operating as a unit and the backs presenting a constant threat.

Sadly, this was the end of the season for the 3 rd XV squad. The squad would like to thank our coaches Mr Lenaghan, Mr Gault and Mr Ian Brown for all of their hard work and commitment to the team for the 2006/2007 season.

Adam Scott Yr13

Coming out of Under 14 rugby into the Medallion XV was a big step but our expectations were still high about what we could achieve this year. We were a decent side in Year 10 so we had high hopes of doing well in the Medallion Shield. We also had Kevin McClean who came into our team from Year 10 which strengthened our back line.

With a skilled team, we had the potential to do well but this, unfortunately, was not shown in the results of our matches. Winning a minority of the matches we played this year was not a true reflection on the quality of our side. We came away with some impressive scores against big teams such as Coleraine. As one of the best teams in our year group, this team went on to the semi-final of the Medallion Shield where they were beaten by eventual winners, Methody. We also drew with Campbell College at the start of the year and beat Rainey. This shows that we had the ability to beat big teams and do well but our season just didn’t show this consistently.

The long-awaited Medallion Shield didn’t go as well as we had intended. We were drawn against Grosvenor, a strong side, so it was expected to be a close match. We were on our home ground and played well. The match was fairly even throughout and it seemed we had an edge over them at times. Everyone put in a great performance but we just lacked in our scoring ability. The game ended with Grosvenor 20, Ballyclare 15. Grosvenor then beat R.B.A.I but were put out in the semi-final by Regent. Although greatly disappointed with this narrow defeat, we began to focus our attentions on the Medallion Bowl, the subsidiary competition.

We were drawn against Portora who were also a good side. Once again, we were expecting a close match but we wanted to go away with the win. The margin between Portora and us was close but we lacked in producing opportunities to score and in our finishing moves. Portora came away with the win of 8-0.

Our defence has improved since last year as we worked better as a team and could break down other teams’ attacks. However, we needed to pressurise better as a line. The team’s attacking improved as well and we had more structure in moves and as a line, although we just lacked the finishing touches at the end which produces the tries. The forwards worked well together. We were a big pack and could challenge many big sides, with, at times, Ross Vint stealing balls from scrum and Michael Patton and Peter Hannah winning balls from the line-outs. The forwards’ tackling has improved also throughout the year, with them getting up to tackle quicker and more efficiently. Key tacklers such as Trevor McClintock, Ben Wilson, Steven Forbes, Michael Patton and Matthew Lok broke down other teams’ play. Also the forwards gradually worked better as a team, producing memorable runs from players such a James Irvine, Steven Forbes and Matthew Lok.

The back line did well this session too and were a strong force for any team to try to penetrate. Through the year, they improved their line of defence, with David Clarke ensuring they came up flat and organised so that they could pressurize the opposition. Key tackles in the back line were made from Jordan Annett, David Clarke, Peter Crawford, Kevin McClean and Christopher Anderson. In attack, Ben Scroggie in scrum-half ensured play came out quickly and effectively. He was injured mid-season but was replaced by Peter Boyd, who quickly took on the role effectively. Our two new wingers, Philip Dickson and Jason Clugston, played well and took their chances to score whenever they were given a chance. Key runners in the back-line were Jordan Annett, David Clarke and Christopher Anderson, who all could break through teams’ back lines, gaining ground for us and also scoring and producing tries. Top try scorer was Matthew Lok, with thirteen tries.

Overall, this was a disappointing year for the Medallion XV in terms of results. With a team with such potential to do well, we didn’t come away from the season pleased with how we had performed. However, the positives we can take out of this year are that when we played to the best of our best ability, we were a team that could be a force against anyone.

Lastly, on behalf of both Medallion teams, I would like to thank and show our appreciation to our two coaches, Mr Campbell and Mr Milliken, who gave up their time and made such efforts to coach us through this year.

Matthew Lok 11C

This year’s season did not start too well, with a 22-0 defeat to B.R.A. at home. The performance put in by the team wasn’t a bad one but B.R.A. were a strong side and deserved the victory on the day. Our next match was away to Campbell College who had a very strong team. Campbell scored tries early in the match but Ballyclare gradually got back into the game. With very few scoring opportunities, we were in our own half for most of the match. In the second half, we showed some great defence on our own try line to prevent more Campbell tries and the final score was 22-0 to Campbell.

The next match was played away, against Coleraine Inst. We put in a better performance and really should have won the game because we did everything but just couldn’t get the ball over the line. The final score finished 0-0.

Our next game was against Belfast Inst., away. This was by far our best performance of the year. We piled on the pressure from the whistle and were rewarded with tries in the first half from James Irvine and Joshua Dempster. We were up 12-5 at half-time. We kept the performance up in the second half and scored two more tries from Joshua Dempster and Nathan Quail. Once we were in this comfortable position, we enjoyed our rugby and played out the final minutes. Inst. scored two tries in the second half but did not have enough time to come back. The final score was 26-19 to Ballyclare.

Belfast High were our next opponents and we played them at home. This was a close encounter, which finished with Belfast High winning 17-10. There was then a large gap in the season without a match until our game against Ballymena Academy at home. We put in a good performance but didn’t get the result, despite leading at half-time. The final score was 17-7 to Ballymena.

The final match of the season was against Sullivan, away. We only had fourteen players for the match due to an injury. We played very well and were not too badly beaten by a strong side. The final score was 30-12 to Sullivan.

Overall, we enjoyed a reasonably good season, although our results were not really a true reflection of the performances that we put in.

David Stewart 11A

The season began in a very promising fashion. We were winning against, or drawing with, many good teams, and it seemed we were getting into a winning streak. The team members were very confident and all seemed to be going well.

However, things were not always going to be great. Kevin McClean, our fly half, was moved up into the Medallion squad. This knocked the backs a lot and they never really seemed to recover. In addition, every week the forwards were taking continual big hits and doing a lot of work, which gradually resulted in many of the team being injured. In some games, not even half of the forward pack was fit to play.

As a result of all these circumstances, we began to mount up some losses and the team’s confidence went down as we were losing to teams we had easily annihilated the previous year.

We took part in two tournaments over the season. In the weeks preceding the tournament at R.B.A.I., we were pleased to have all of our forwards back to full strength and training; Kevin was back with us and we had two great new additions to the team with Johnny Douglas and Grant Bartley. With our old team back, and the help of the newcomers, we were pleased to be selected for the tournament. Unfortunately, we were knocked out by Terenure (the previous year’s winners) but only by a single try. It was a sad ending but we had gained valuable experience which could help us with the O’Kane tournament. Back in training, we practised how best to perform in a fourteen minute game.

The O’Kane tournament in Ballymena was our last rugby of the season. We were drawn against Ballymena Academy, Dungannon, Belfast High and Wallace High School, Lisburn. We lost to Ballymena by only two tries. We then beat Belfast High and drew with Wallace and Dungannon. However, this meant we were transferred into the shield matches because of a few points. We won the semi-final against Cambridge House convincingly and gained our place in the final. Belfast High was our opposition here. Both teams played well but Belfast High won. We were tired and, ultimately, our overall fitness let us down. However, I think our team left on a high, with two wins, two draws and two losses. We were nearly back to our initial form, seen at the start of the season.

Overall, the Under 14A team had a great start to the season, followed by a bit of a drop, but, ultimately finished on a high note. We hope to start training again in May and look forward to being a stronger, fitter side next year.

Peter Kennedy 10C

The start of the year went well for us. Before half-term we had won against B.R.A., Campbell College, Larne Grammar, Belfast High, Limavady Grammar and Wallace High. Our only defeat was against R.B.A.I. However, after the break, the standard fell a little. Although we won against a number of schools, we didn’t perform as well as we had and this was frustrating. After Christmas, things didn’t get much better and we lost to C.A.I., Ballymena and Sullivan, amongst others.

The top points scorer of the season was Jonny Holmes and top try scorer was Jonny Douglas. We had a good record at the start of the year but, although we have many talented players in our team, we need to improve on attitude and develop teamwork if we are to enjoy more victories next year.

Jonny Douglas 9B

This season has been a good one for our rugby team. We were victorious over Ballymena Academy twice and only lost three matches the whole season. Our team also won the prestigious NEBSSA tournament held at Dalriada. There were some fantastic tries and defence which gave us confidence to go all the way and beat rivals Ballymena, Coleraine Inst. and other strong teams. Super stealing on the ground gave us a lot of possession and, in the final, we beat Coleraine Inst. This was a big event as the school had never won this tournament before.

Obviously, we had our less successful moments too. We unfortunately lost to Coleraine Inst. in the tournament group stages and at home and we lost to a strong Wallace side. However, we took a lot out of these matches which helped us with the rest of the season.

Top try scorers were Ben Wilson and David Tyler, who both ran in a lot of super tries. Other high scorers were Jack Irvine and Archie Davidson.

The team will take a lot out of this season and we hope to continue our successes next year. As our ‘B’ team has been successful as well, there will be good competition for places next year.

Jack Irvine 8L