Ballymena claim three in a row as Quins are kept at bay

Ballymena 22 Belfast Harlequins 20

The Braidmen looked to be heading for an easy success when rising star Andrew Trimble scorched in for his side’s third try and a 22-3 lead.

But Quins fought back magnificently and just fell short at the end.

Quins took the lead in the eighth minute when Ian Humphreys tapped over a penalty in front of the posts.

However, Ballymena took over the lead in the 11th minute when hooker Stephen Kernohan barged over from a line-out.

Dirk Strydom found his range from close-in to knock over an easy penalty in the 32nd minute and it was no surprise just before the break when prop Bryan Young bulldozed his way over, with Strydom landing the conversion.

On the resumption, Trimble stretched Ballymena’s lead when he picked up a loose ball, burst through two tackles and scored under the posts. Strydom converted.

Humphreys had to leave the field with an arm injury and Quins looked to have little chance of coming back, but they shocked Ballymena in the 53rd minute when his replacement Keith Pyper danced through to score under the posts with John Anderson adding the extra points.

That injected a previously unseen will into Quins and a turnover at a five-metre scrum allowed centre Paul McKenzie to zip over in the 67th minute.

Anderson again converted and then added a 74th minute penalty to make it a two-point game, but Ballymena held out to the end.

BALLYMENA: M Waterhouse; J Topping, A Trimble, J McGruggen, M Humphreys; D Strydom, A Monson; B Young, R Kernohan, W McAllister, H Head, R Young, A Graham, J Taggart, M McComish.

Replacements: D O’Hara for Manson (60), I Campbell for Kernohan (60), A Kirkpatrick for McAllister (55), I Caldwell for R Young (60), J Kelly.

BELFAST HARLEQUINS: J Lowe; M Kettyle, P McKenzie, G Mitchell, J Anderson; I Humphreys, A Matchett; J Carey, R Best, D Fitzpatrick, D Barbour, M Graham, N Hanna, C Atkinson, C McCarey.

Replacements: C Keown for Carey (53), J Andress for Fitaptrick (56), A Gillespie for Hanna (74), D Dougherty for Atkinson (31), K Pyper for Humphreys (50).

Referee: Marshall Kilgore (Ulster Branch).