Carrickfergus 2nd XV had a huge win over Ballyclare 2s. In the first encounter Clare beat Carrick which made the boys very determined to go there and cause an upset. This they did from the start playing some fast hard running rugby. Despite opportunities the Carrick side only went in 6 points up at half time.

The second half started with Daryl Smith collecting the restart and charging further into the Ballyclare half and this set the tone. Prop Stuart Cheshire who was just on due to Jamesy Graham taking a kick to the forehead (and also due to his still hanging from his works Christmas do) was first to burst over the line. Tries followed by Marc Gordon and Ryan Bailey.

This was an outstanding performance from 1 to 18, with Strax a stand-out by running the line consistently; bringing the team beers; and cleaning and filling the water bottles with expert precision (due to a broken thumb).

Final score was 5-25 and a dampener was put on Ballyclare’s Christmas jumper day. The 1st XV will be eager to emulate this winning performance when they meet Ballyclare 1s on Boxing Day.

Carrick 3rd XV where up against an extremely strong Armagh 3s team as they continue in a very tough league, following they promotion last year. Final score 10-50.

On Saturday morning the Youth section also hosted Ballyclare. And although the Under 18s lost heavily (0-45) it was better news for the other teams. The Under 16s won 27-21 and the Under 14s won 31-12.

On Sunday the Ladies XV played Belfast rivals Malone in a friendly and were beaten 20-0.
Next week’s fixtures (Fixtures for Saturday 17th December at 2.30, unless otherwise stated)
1st XV v Cooke (h)
2nd XV – No match
3rd XV v Academy 2s (h)
4th XV v Ards 3s (h), 2nd Rnd McCambley Cup
Ladies – No match
Youth Section – Free weekend (TBC)
Mini rugby – Training (h), 9.30am

Invitation to pre-match lunch
There will be a pre-match lunch on Saturday at 12.30pm before the1st XV v Cooke fixture. And after the game we will have our traditional traditional silver band playing in the function room.

The lunch is open to everyone at a cost of £12.50 per head with wine or just £10 without wine. If you want to attend please contact Craig Addley on (07710) 550711 as soon as possible, and not later than Wednesday.

The pre-match is generously sponsored by Allan and Paul Davidson, NK Group. NK has been a major supporter of our Club for many years and we would encourage members to come to the pre-match to acknowledge this and show our gratitude.