Rainey 2nds XV 33–7 Ballyclare 2nds XV
2nds XV League – Saturday 3rd October 2026
Try Scorers: Lorcan Quinn (2), James Mawhinney (2), Penalty Try (1)
Conversions: Ryan Kearns (4)
Rainey 2nd XV continued their winning ways in impressive fashion on Saturday afternoon, recording a convincing 33–7 victory over Ballyclare 2nd XV in their third game of the 2nd XV League campaign.
Rainey started brightly and opened the scoring through scrum-half Lorcan Quinn. A quick tap penalty caught the Ballyclare defence off guard, with Quinn darting towards the corner and winning the foot race to touch down. The conversion was unsuccessful, but Rainey had made the perfect start.
The home side doubled their advantage just minutes later, and once again it was Quinn who found himself on the scoresheet. Spotting a gap where the Ballyclare pillars should have been positioned at the ruck, the scrum-half nipped through and raced in for his second try of the afternoon. Ryan Kearns added the conversion to put Rainey 12–0 ahead.
Ballyclare then enjoyed a spell of pressure and threatened to get themselves back into the contest. However, just when the visitors appeared to be building momentum, Rainey struck again.
Strong carries from props Deaglan McErlean and Thomas McNicholl brought Rainey deep into the Ballyclare 22. With the defence sucked in, the ball was moved out the back and Kearns produced a superb looping overhead pass to winger James Mawhinney, who finished in the corner.
Mawhinney was soon celebrating again. A well-placed grubber was put in behind the Ballyclare defensive line, with Mawhinney winning the race, hacking the ball forward and gathering enough momentum to cross for his second try of the afternoon. Kearns converted both tries, extending Rainey’s advantage to 26–0.
Half-Time: Rainey 26–0 Ballyclare
Ballyclare came out strongly after the interval and eventually got themselves on the scoreboard with the opening try of the second half. The conversion was successful, reducing the deficit to 26–7.
Rainey, however, remained in control and continued to look dangerous as the game entered its latter stages.
The final score of the afternoon came from a penalty try. With Quinn breaking through and heading for the line, a Ballyclare player deliberately knocked the ball from the scrum-half’s hands as he attempted to score. The referee awarded awarded the points bringing the final score to Rainey 33–7 Ballyclare.
Standout Performances
There were several strong individual performances throughout the Rainey side.
Up front, Hooker and Captain Sam Sufferin led from the front and set the tone for the pack, while Matthew Brown impressed with a series of powerful carries from the second row. Matty Miller also put in an excellent shift in the back row, covering plenty of ground with his work rate, tackling and jackal work.
In the backs, Lorcan Quinn was instrumental in controlling the tempo of the game, repeatedly looking to move the ball quickly whenever the opportunity presented itself. Ryan Kearns controlled proceedings well from out-half, while James Mawhinney provided an excellent finishing touch out wide with his two well-taken tries.
Overall, it was a comprehensive and well-deserved victory for Rainey 2nd XV, who showed attacking intent, defensive discipline and plenty of energy throughout the contest.
