Ballymena, Shannon strike a blow for clubs

ON the week that the IRFU announced their intention to disembowel the AIB League, tournament specialists Shannon and holders Ballymena combined to show them the error of their ways with a cracking game at Thomond Park.

If this is what the Union wants to get rid of, then they'd have a lot of explaining to do to the fans who saw Ballymena romp into a 23-0 lead in as many minutes but were only 26-24 ahead within two minutes of the restart as understrength Shannon battled their way back in typical fashion.

Ballymena pulled away again, but in the end were flattered by their 10-point (37-27) winning margin.