Ravenhill heartbreak for Inishowen

Inishowen Rugby Club’s 2nd XV came up just short in their bid to retain the Butler Shield at Ulster Rugby HQ in Belfast on Saturday afternoon when they were narrowly beaten by Ballynahinch on a 15-13 scoreline. While the Carndonagh based club were more than a match for their County Down opponents the concession of two late tries at the end of the first half left them with a mountain to climb in the second period. Despite a spirited comeback, and a brilliant second half try from Michael Harkin, the local side failed to emulate their stunning comeback of 12 months ago as Ballynahinch defended doggedly to run out winners. Reflecting on Saturday’s decider, their sixth consecutive year appearing at Ulster Rugby HQ, club president John Merritt felt his side were unfortunate not to come out on top. “On another day we could have won but we didn’t have much luck with decisions and breaks,” he told the Inish Times. “With a few minutes to go our scrum half Seamus Hickey tried to release Shaun Craig but the ball went out of play and if he had got that pass he’d have probably scored and we’d have won the game so the margins were tight. “They didn’t score at all in the second half and we had a lot of the play but to give them credit they defended very well to secure the victory.” Inishowen recorded their first ever Ravenhill win in last year’s Butler Shield Final in what has become an annual pilgrimage for the club. And Merrit admitted that they enjoyed the experience of being back at the 12,000 capacity venue despite the outcome. “I was speaking to the Ballynahinch prop afterwards who was telling me that this was his first game at Ravenhill. There are plenty of Ulster based players who never get to play there so we are very fortunate that we’ve had so many games here. It’s a good experience, especially for our younger players. “Karl Diver played very well for us on the right wing and he kicked three from three, we may look at moving him to outhalf for next season so he sees more of the ball because he is a very effective player. “Stephen Browne also played very well for us when he came on and the changes we made to our backline with Shaun Craig and Gary McEleney coming in gave us more penetration in the second half.” Despite Saturday’s disappointment, Merrit believes the future is bright for the club as participation numbers in the sport continue to increase. “We fielded U15 and U16s sides for the first time this year and we will have an U17 side come September so the club is moving in the right direction. Rugby is being played more in schools as well and we should see the benefits from that in the future. “I am grateful to the players for their efforts over the season and the supporters who came to Saturday’s game. I’d like to thank coach Adrian Thompson who came in the last 2 or 3 weeks and was a big help in our preparations for the final,” he concluded.