THE agony goes on for Instonians. Four games, four defeats and no immediate prospect of a turn around in their fortunes. It was Ballymena who added to their woes on Saturday with an efficient though unspectacular performance that brought them the points and exacerbated Instonians' worries.

Ballymena, stronger and more organised upfront, always had the upper hand and although their backs only rarely showed a spirit of adventure, the side nonetheless carried too much power and pace for their opponents.

A Norman McKiernan first half try was embellished by a similar score from Stephen Ritchie in the second half and with McIlmoyle adding two penalties, Ballymena had something to spare - Simon Bond landed three penalties for the home side.