Shannon top league after win

Ballymena 27 Shannon 31

2004 champions Shannon are back on top of the AIB League Division One pile despite conceding two late tries in a 31-27 defeat of Ballymena at Eaton Park.

Mick Galwey's side chalked up their fifth win of the campaign, and fourth bonus point, as hooker Nigel Conroy, fullback David O'Donovan, winger Fionn McLoughlin and prop Tony Buckley all touched down.

Ballymena - slumping to their fifth defeat, which strangely sees them up two places - hit back late with Matt Waterhouse and Andrew Trimble breaching the visitors' cover, but it was all too late for Steph Nel's men.

Shannon fly-half David Delaney - who kicked 11 points - started it off with an 11th-minute penalty, quickly cancelled out by the Braidmen's returning Ulster star Paddy Wallace.

On the half-hour, turnover ball saw Conroy burrow over, thanks to support from prop Les Hogan. Delaney added his only conversion of the afternoon, and tagged on a 38th-minute drop goal as Shannon led 18-10 at the break.

Ulster loosehead Bryan Young's 35th-minute rumble over got Ballymena back into it, but O'Donovan's superb injury-time breakaway score - from his own 22 - saw Galwey's charges grab an eight-point lead.

An 8-9 move saw Frankie McNamara set up McLoughlin for Shannon's third on 48 minutes, and their bonus point was struck up six minutes later, when from a stolen lineout and well-orchestrated maul, Buckley muscled over for a 28-10 lead.

Trimble collected his own chip through on 57 minutes to inspire Ballymena comeback hopes, and despite Delaney knocking over a 60th-minute penalty, the home side continued to press.

Fullback Waterhouse gained an intercept try seconds later, but both scores went unconverted and Trimble's second on 84 minutes was little more thn consolation.

Scorers:

Ballymena: Tries: Bryan Young, Andrew Trimble 2, Matt Waterhouse; Cons: Paddy Wallace 2; Pen: Wallace

Shannon: Tries: Nigel Conroy, David O'Donovan, Fionn McLoughlin, Tony Buckley; Cons: David Delaney; Pens: Delaney 2; Drop gl: Delaney