‘Hinch scrape through

‘Hinch scrape through

3 December 2014

BALLYNAHINCH snatched victory from the brink of defeat with a dramatic counterattack in the final play of a very tense and hard fought Ulster Senior Cup final.

If truth be told, the men from the Maiden City were robbed, having fought back so well to take full control of the game in the final 10 minutes.

‘Hinch had dominated the early exchanges and led 9-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to three converted penalties by Chris Quinn.

In the 27th minute Hinch had a the first opportunity to score a try, but after making a great break full back Stephen McCauley passed outside into the hands of a Derry player.

Andrew Semple opened the visitors’ account in the 31st minute after James Simpson entered a ruck from the side.

In the final 10 minutes of the first half the visitors started to move the ball well with Ritchie McCarter and Semple looking very sharp. ‘Hinch wing Quinn received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on in the 33rd minute as he attempted an intercept.

Down to 14 men, the home side struggled to handle the Derry attack, and Michael Graham was caught offside in the 36th minute. Semple added the three points to close the gap to 9-6 at half-time.

When the second half got underway McCarter and Sample used their kicking game to keep the ‘Hinch pinned deep in their half of the field where the home side found it impossible to escape.

In the 51st minute the visitors took the lead after they stretched the Hinch defence wide, creating room for wing William McCauley to fend off Stephen McCauley and dive in at the corner flag for a well-worked try.

It took almost 20 minutes for the ‘Hinch to finally get themselves into the Derry half where they began to put some phases together, winning another penalty for offside, which Quinn dispatched to regain the lead for his side.

Good work from Kyle McCall and Jonny Murphy help set up another ‘Hinch attack just short of the Derry line. However, the visitors’ defence was a match and no further points were added.

As Ballynahinch looked as if they would cling on for a single point victory, the Derry men lifted their game once more.

Poor discipline from Paul Pritchard in the 69th minute gifted a good penalty opportunity to Semple, and he put the ball between the uprights for a 14-12 lead.

City of Derry men took control as McCarter and Semple kicked accurately to play all the rugby in the ‘Hinch 22.

Semple missed two further shots at goal as the ‘Hinch struggled to handle a very committed Derry attack.

The scoreboard clock on the clubhouse wall confirmed normal time was up, and then referee Peter Martin indicated that three minutes of injury time remained to be played.

As the seconds ticked away the ‘Hinch were stuck deep in their 22.

The dramatic twist on the final play, started with Richard Reaney and Chris Quinn setting off on a counterattack from the ‘Hinch line.

Running down the left wing, Quinn cut inside to link well with James McBriar, who was tackled by Stephen Ferguson in front of the Derry posts.

The quick ball was zipped to the right where ‘Hinch had men over and James Simpson took the tackle before putting Stephen McCauley clear to score in the corner.

Quinn added the extras from the touchline to secure a dramatic victory and claim a place in the final against Malone at the Kingspan Stadium, Belfast.

City of Derry coach Mark Nicholl said he was disappointed to lose and believed his side was the better team on the day.

‘Hinch coach Derek Suffern admitted that his side had got a “get out of jail free card” and that City of Derry deserved to win.

“I am happy to get into the cup final, but brutally disappointed with the performance,” he said.

Final score: Ballynahinch 19 City of Derry 14