Ballymena are poised to give their coach, Andre Bester, the perfect send-off as he prepares to leave Eaton Park. Bester, linked with a move to Belfast Harlequins, has set his sights on All-Ireland league glory with the Eaton Park side. now, having endured a generous ration of frustration during the season so far, he may be about to enjoy a dramatic upsurge in fortune.
Not only did Ballymena enhance their prospects of landing a top four place by overcoming Shannon on Saturday, but they also set the scene for what will be a fascinating tussle with the other Ulster Division One side, Dungannon, tomorrow night.
And if Ballymena reveal the same authority, fluency and scoring touch that characterised their display against Shannon, Bester will have considerable cause for optimism. Ballymena even allowed Shannon the luxury of a vibrant start before stamping their imprint on a game which they dominated in the second half through a mixture of forward power and the assured generalship of outhalf David Humphreys.
Shannon provided what turned out to be a false dawn when Andrew Thompson landed a penalty and then converted John Lacey's try to give his side a seemingly comfortable 10-0 cushion. But Ballymena exploded into life when Neil Doak thumped over a penalty and then converted his own try as the home side slid into the driving seat. Ballymena's initiative was rewarded when Rhys Botha grabbed a superb try in the 19th minute, and they assumed an even more composed demeanour when James Topping crossed the Shannon line. Shane Stewart blazed in for a try to give Ballymena a commanding 31-13 half-time lead. Ballymena lost no time in going further in front at the start of the second half when Botha grabbed his second try with Doak adding the points once more. Ballymena then retreated into their own territory, allowing Marcus Horan to steal in for a Shannon try, which Jason Hayes converted.
Ballymena shook themselves and two further penalties from Doak embellished their winning margin.
BALLYMENA: S Young; J Topping, S Stewart, R Botha, A Maxwell; N Doak, B Free; N McKernan, P Shields, G Cully, C Beukes, G Longwell (capt), A Graham, R Nelson, J Taggart. Replacements: B Young for McKernan (43 min), C Millar for Cully (58 mins), A Derwin for Free (60 mins), D Topping for Graham (67 mins), D O'Kane for Beukes (78 mins), G Mitchell for Stewart (80 mins).
SHANNON: J Lacey; Jason Hayes, A Thompson (capt), j Davis, M Lawlor; D Delaney, P Stringer; M Horan, F Roche, John Hayes, M Galwey, J Langford, B Buckley, A Foley, D Quinlan. Replacements: S McNamara for Roche (46 mins), N McNamara for Thompson (53 mins), T Hayes for Foley (69 mins), D Costelloe for Horan (71 mins).
