It was back to Osborne Park on Saturday morning, to catch the game we went there last week for, as RBAI entertained Ballyclare High in the first round of the newly formed Schools U16 Cup.

RBAI thoroughly deserved their win though the game was much more competitive than the score line suggest, the visitors producing a strong final quarter that they can take forward to the next game.

The home side opened the scoring ten minutes in with their impressive No 6 Luke Beattie finding the line after a couple of efforts from the pack were rebuffed. Fullback Jamie Beattie added the extras and minutes later Beattie was heading for the line for a try of his own, unconverted, to take the score to 12 – 0.

Ballyclare started to work their way into the game with their out-half involved in a few moves but Inst closed out the first half with a third try from their hard working prop Euan Patterson going over after a couple of bustling runs. The try went unconverted leaving the score at 17 – 0 in Inst’s favour as the teams changed ends.

The Inst players produced a powerful start to the second half running in a try every 5 minutes on resumption. Winger Toby Stewart got the scoreboard clicking over with the first of the second half before prop Alex Spence and the industrious Ethan Dickson crossed to push the score along to 32 – 0 at the end of the third quarter.

It would have been easy for Ballyclare to roll over but they produced a spirited final quarter. Despite going close on a few occasions, they were unable to breakdown the well organised Inst defence.

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