ULSTER SENIOR CUP FINALAS EXPECTED Ballymena lifted the Ulster Senior Cup for the 13th time but they were made to battle every inch of the way by a brave Banbridge side. Indeed, it was Banbridge who set the early pace with a Robin Thompson penalty but from a high kick off the back of a splintering Ballymena scrum after 21 minutes, Steven Cowan dropped the ball and Ballymena winger Caolan Fitzpatrick picked up one-handed and linked up with centre Ali Fraser for a try under the posts. Davy O'Hara was left with a straightforward conversion.
However, Bann continued to turn the screw and though Thompson missed two attempts on goal, he managed to put one through just on half-time to narrow Ballymena’s lead to 7-6.
However, despite having Martin Irwin sin-binned early in the second half, Ballymena scored a second try from skipper and man-of-the-match Paul Pritchard after a great surge from replacement John Burns. O’Hara’s conversion made it 14-6.
An O’Hara penalty took it to 17-6, but Bann’s Ryan Patterson drove over for a well-deserved try.
BALLYMENA: R Andrew; C Fitzpatrick, A Fraser, R Aingworth, J Semple, M Irwin, D O'Hara; J Carson, A Warwick, C Cundell, D O'Kane, J Christie, A Kerr, P Pritchard (capt), R Hackney.
BANBRIDGE: S Cowan, J Pollock, A Morrison, J Little, A Kirkwood, R Thompson, N Farr; M Cromie, D Weir, B Hanna, C Bickerstaff, S McKinstry (capt), D Carson, M Wilson, S Irvine.
Referee: D Wilkinson.
