Match Report: Old Belvedere 56-10 Ballynahinch

Energia Men’s AIL Division 1 (a), Round 2

Old Belvedere 56, Ballynahinch 10.

Sat October 3rd 2.30pm, Ollie Campbell Park ,D4 .

Match referee: Jack Mc Neice , I.R.F.U.

 

‘Clinical Old Belvedere 1st quarter 4 try salvo , builds unassailable half time lead for another high scoring, high tempo victory’ . 

Similar to round 1 against Young Munster last week, Old Belvedere were quick out of the blocks . This time with 4 back to back 1st quarter tries ( 2 Rob Russell,  1 Jayden ( Doddsy ) Beckett , and a penalty try ) establishing an emphatic 28-5 lead on 20 mins , and 35-5 by half time . Barring a second half collapse from the Home side Old Belvedere were, once again, in a commanding position .The Ballymacarn park outfit went on to concede 3 further second half  tries, ( 1 Rob Russell , 2 Sam Wisniewski ),  to two well taken ,unconverted tries of their own , from left wing Aaron Sexton .

Conditions were nigh on perfect for this round 2 encounter played on a fast track under autumnal sunshine , blue skies , and temperatures of 15-17 degrees . A slight cross field wind favouring the Home team attacked the Ailesbury Grove end for the 1st half .

Old Belvedere opened their account on 5 mins when after multi phase build up play by the pack in the Hinch half ,   Jayden ( ‘Doddsy’ ) Beckett from the Ballynahinch 10 meter line ripped through the heart of their Defence from midfield before passing inside to full back Rob Russell supporting on his inside , to  canter Home  under the posts  . Out half Sam Wisniewski converted  to put the Home side 7 – nil ahead.

 

Three minutes later a quick tap penalty take from scrum half Chris O’Connor on his own 10 meter line far side , put the Old Belvedere pack on the front foot and into the opposition half . Old Belvederes No; 8 Paddy Dowling took over the baton  and made the hard yards before off quick ruck ball, Old Belvedere put width on the attack spinning it out the three quarter line . Centaur Jayden ( ‘Doddsy ‘ ) Beckett created more carnage for the beleaguered visitors midfiled bursting through the middle and despite getting hauled down short of the try line by left wing Aaron Sexton, managed to ground the ball to the right of the posts. Sam Wisniewski converted from the right of the posts . 14-nil.

 

Just a minute later , ( 9th min )  ruthless old Belvedere were at it again . The Ballinahinch Paul Kerr restart was claimed by Old Belvedere around their 10 meter line far side where their tormentor in chief , Jayden ( ‘Doddsy’ ) Beckett galloped up the left touchline and into the Ballynahinch half before getting reigned in .After The ball was recycled out wide , with Prop George Hadden showing delightful soft hands in picking the pass off his bootlaces before offloading to Rob Russell , the full back stretched his legs and the Ballynahinch defence to dot down to the right of the sticks. Sam Wisniewski converting again , 21-0 .

Ballynahinchs first try scoring opportunity came on 12 mins  off a Conor Rankin  penalty kick to the right hand corner .Ballynahinch’  claimed the throw  at No; 4 before the pack mauled infield . ‘Hinch Center Mark Best was prominent in the next phase of play in the Old Belvedere red zone. before Conor Rankins kick pass out wide to the left hand corner bounced favourably for left wing Aaron Sexton to gather and dot down . 21- 5 . Ballynahinch were on the scoreboard .

 

The Old Belvedere set piece was in fine fettle ‘unhinching’ the visitors scrum  with a scrum penalty on 18 mins on the terrace side just inside the Ballynahinch half  enabling Sam Wisniewski nudge the ball deep into the visitors half , Pavillion side . From the resulting line out throw and take by Jhy Legg at 4, the Old Belvedere pack went to work and mauled close to the right hand corner before being taken down illegally. Referee Jack Mc Neice having no hesitation awarding the Home side a penalty try . 28 – 5 with a bonus point try by the end of the 1st quarter for the Home team  .

On 29 minutes off a scrum in the Ballynahinch half midfield, Sam Wisniewski received the ball and running against the grain from right to left across the face of the Ballynahinch defensive line ran in a  fine try out wide , converting himself to push the home side out to 35-5.

 

Two minutes from the interval Old Belvedere were handed a yellow card from referee Jack Mc Neice for a tackle infringement . One minute later after sustained pressure from Ballynahinch in the Old Belvedere 22, and using their numerical advantage ,  left wing Aaron Sexton gave the Ballynahinch supporters something to shout about when he scored a try  out wide on the left hand side  to reduce the deficit to 35-10 .

                    HALF TIME 35 -10

This first half was about a  quick fire, back to back, 3 try salvo from old Belvedere in the first quarter, establishing a dominant 21  nil lead early doors where Captain ( Jayden ‘Doddsy’ ) Beckett was doing a lot of damage in midfield  . Ballynahinch , were not getting over the gain line in their attacks and lacked penetration in their raids in the Old Belvedere half . The visitors were also guilty of not executing when in a try scoring position in the Home sides 22 .

The Ballynahinch club contested better in the second half , finding more territory and field position in the third and final quarters , but again were let down at crucial moments by unforced errors . After good build up play around 51 mins  and with the Home side under pressure from attacks deep in their 22, Old Belvedere infringed at a ruck and Conor Rankin dispatched the ball to the right hand corner . Ballynahinch won the line out but couldn’t control the ball which somehow popped up out of the back of their maul and was claimed by Old Belvedere hands, thus ending a promising Ballynahinch attack . 

On 55 mins Old Belvederes replacement Eddie Rees conceded Old Belvederes second yellow card of the afternoon for a ‘ high tackle ‘. There followed some threatening attacks in the Old Belvedere half, when the Ballynahinch replacement left wing surged  into the Old Belvedere half far side , offloading to Centre Jack Stapely . Minutes later Centre Mark Best combined well with Hinch Captain and hooker Clayton Milligan to advance deep only to have the attack stalled by a Ballynahinch injury . From the resulting Ballynahinch scrum some 15 meters out from the hosts try line near side, Ballynahinch reloaded, punching up and winning a 5 meter penalty. Clayton Milligan tapped and went close to the tryline . The Home side however, again displayed a strong ‘D’  repelling wave after wave of attacks close in, winning back possession after a knock-on close in from Ballynahinch . 

‘La Piece de resistance ‘ of this second half came on 59 mins . From around the half way line, and off another attack, A Ballynahinch Paul Kerr cross field kick for right wing Matthew Booth was picked off by Old Belvederes outhalf Sam Wisniewski .  Cutting infield on his own 10 meter line the outhalf  gathered and slaloming from right to left in an arcing run , cut through the fractured Ballynahinch defensive line, before putting on the afterburners to accelerate over the whitewash and under the posts . The pacey outhalf converted his own try to extend the Home sides lead to 42-10 .

On 71 mins Ballinahinch applied more pressure from a penatly tocuhfinder inside the old Belvedere 22 only to lose the impetus with Clayton Milligans line out throw deemed ‘not straight’ by referee Jack Mc Neice . From the resulting Home scrum Sam Wisniewski lifted the Ballinahinch siege with a big hoof towards halfway .

A minute before full time after much pressure in the Ballinahinch 22 off a scrum far side, the ball was recycled from coast to coast before big carries from Fionn Mc Wey and Ryan ( ‘Rhino’ ) Mc Mahon punching hard, and up the guts . With quick ruck ball Rob Russell chipped through the onrushing defence out wide RDS side, and gathered his own kick in some style to take the ball over the try line . 49-10 . 

Deep into over time , with Ballynahinch out on their feet and on the ropes, an ill conceived quick tap penalty take from their 5 meter line ended up in Old Belvedere hands after an attempted kick into open space . With Paddy Dowling hitting hard, close in, on  the far side touchline with a big carry, who else was on hand to apply the coup de grace but the ubiquitous Rob Russell taking the pass and gliding in under the posts for his 4th try . The try was converted by Daragh O’Dwyer to leave the final score at 56-10 to the Home side .

Old Belvedere left Ballymacarn park last spring with a bloody nose after a heavy defeat. This time , however, it was Ballynahinch who got beaten up by a free scoring rampant Old Belvedere whose forwards pack were dominant, creating the platform for some eye catching tries from a menacing back line sprinkled with star dust by the return to the fold of Sam Wisniewski and the addition of Rob Russell at full back . Equally their pack has been seriously beefed up adding much heft and ballast around the park . With a long season ahead, and although early days, Old Belvedere look well equipped to compete with the heavyweights of this division in their second season back in the top flight .

 

‘Lordie’