1st Ballyclare do the Double

After a great triumph last week in the Senior 5 a Side competition, 1st Ballyclare arrived on Saturday hoping to do the double and take home the Intermediate title as well. Four other teams were hoping to prevent them from doing this and the contest which ensued was a great advert for Boys Brigade football.

As last week, all participants would play in a league meaning every team got four games. 1st Raloo and 6th Carrick opened up the competition, with Raloo coming out on top 2-0. 1st Ballyclare were next up against old foes 1st Larne. This was a great game, full of passion, skill and sportsmanship. 1st Ballyclare took the lead through David Clarke but within seconds Larne equalised. Both sides had chances to win the game with Ballyclare goalkeeper Chris Stevenson making a number of fantastic saves, as he did all afternoon.

1st Greenisland opened with a win against 1st Raloo followed by an enthralling 2-2 draw between 6th Carrick and 1st Larne. 1st Larne had been 2-0 up and looking very comfortable before 6th Carrick really stepped up and gear and got a deserved draw.

1st Ballyclare against 1st Greenisland was always going to be the big game of the afternoon and so it proved. Both teams were really up for the contest but both played the match in the correct spirit. Alex Hagan had been in great form for Greenisland in their previous game but Chris Anderson man marked him out of the game, nullifying much of Greenisland's threat. At the other end, 1st Ballyclare had few chances as Ross Megarry marshalled the Greenisland backline efficiently. Fortunately for Ballyclare, one of the few chances was converted, Peter Griffith thumping the ball in from 12 yards. Apart from the goal, the game was very even and Ballyclare will be thankful the referee didn't give a late penalty against them, although it looked like the Greenisland man was as much in the keeper's area as the David Clarke for Ballyclare. Had a penalty been given, it would have been harsh on DC who had an excellent game, both going forward and defending.

This win gave Ballyclare the upper hand for the rest of the afternoon and they really cemented this advantage with a big win against 6th Carrick, 6-0 the scoreline. Peter Griffith was immense in this game, scoring 4 goals, two of them with his weaker left foot. Chris Anderson also got on the score sheet, as did Niall Dalton. It was good to see these two boys getting goals as their contribution could easily have gone unnoticed. Chris is so solid at the back and gives great options going forward with his left foot. Niall has not played for 1st Ballyclare all season but it did not show today as some intelligent passing set up many goals for his team-mates.

Other league games saw Larne beat Raloo 3-2, a last minute deflected goal giving Larne the win, and Greenisland getting a 0-0 with 1st Larne. Greenisland's draw with Larne meant Ballyclare only needed to avoid defeat against 1st Raloo to secure their double victory and they duly obliged. A 2-0 win was achieved with another two goals from Peter Griffith, taking his total to seven for the day. 1st Greenisland secured second place in the competition with a 4-0 win against 6th Carrick. 1st Larne went one better than last week and claimed third place.

A big thank you must go to Hilary Montgomery for doing time keeper and recorder for the afternoon and to Donald Blair for refereeing. Donald is a real legend in BB circles and his willingness, year on year, to referee in these 5 a side competitions is greatly appreciated. Credit must also go to the boys and officers today who made the competition a real treat to watch and participate in.

Ballyclare Winning Squad:

Peter Griffith (captain), Chris Anderson, David Clarke, Chris Stevenson, Niall Dalton

The Junior 5 A Side competition is this Saturday for boys in Years 8-10.