Boys Brigade 7 A Side Football

One of the most popular events in the Boys Brigade sporting calendar took place last Saturday when the annual 7 A Side competition was held in the grounds of Ballyclare Secondary School.  Seven companies from East Antrim Battalion took part in what proved a very close competition, with the winner not known until the final whistle of the final match. 

Participating were 1^st Ballyclare, 1^st Ballynure, 1^st Greenisland, 1^st Whitehead, 1^st Larne and 2^nd and 7^th Carrick..  The competition was played as a league with each team playing each other once, the winner being the team at the top of the league after all the games.  Two pitches were used but goals were at a premium due to the small size of the nets.

The opening four matches produced only 1 goal, but after these opening exchanges, teams started to get a feel for the smaller nets and the stronger teams came to the fore by nicking a few 1-0 wins.  1^st Greenisland had a slow start but two consecutive wins shot them up the league.  2^nd Carrick and 1^st Ballyclare seemed to be the teams to beat on the day though, both going along well in their early matches, winning two and drawing two.

A number of quality young players were on show on the day.  A very young Greenisland side shows a lot of promise for the future, with young Peter McAllister looking a really terrific player up front.  Shaun Richards also stood out for them in midfield with a pleasing mixture of guile and craft.

1^st Ballyclare also have a number of quality young players who should help them perform well in their debut season in the Battalion 11 A Side league.  Young Josh Beggs in nets did not concede all afternoon and never looked likely to.  Peter Griffith, an imposing figure for a second year boy, was majestic for 1^st Ballyclare at the back, snuffing out any danger long before it got as far as the keeper.  Up front, Alistair Bell displayed quick feet and was Ballyclare’s main danger man, although he looked isolated at times.

2^nd Carrick’s star player was Kenny Graely, leading by example as his teams captain.  Kyle Galbraith also looked a class player.  For 1^st Larne, big David Swann was dominant but his team seemed to lack the killer touch in many of their matches.  Lee Millar was their main goal scoring threat but they lost a couple of games they dominated throughout and really deserved more than 5^th place overall.

Craig Reid and Chris Smith both stood out for 7^th Carrick, Trevor McClintock was notable for 1^st Ballynure, ably supported by the small in stature but high in skill Jamie Richardson, who was their greatest goal scoring threat, and Whitehead also had some good performers on the day.

As for the competition, it was a very tight affair, with both 1^st Ballyclare and 2^nd Carrick going through the day unbeaten.  2^nd Carrick had completed their matches before the last series, leaving Ballyclare knowing they had to win to force a penalty shootout to decide the overall winners.  A win for Ballyclare would have taken them level with 2^nd Carrick on 12 points.  Unfortunately for them, they could only manage a draw with 7^th Carrick, meaning 2^nd had won the trophy for the second year running. 

Overall, it was a deserved triumph, but the competition itself was the winner as it remained so close right up until the end.  Many thanks to Andrew McAuley, a senior boy in 1^st Whitehead BB, who offered his services for the day as a referee and did a super job.