On Wednesday afternoon, Campbell College faced Wallace High School, in the Schools U16 Cup Final at the Kingspan Stadium.

As a spectacle, the game was spoiled as a final, because of the rain, which varied between a biblical deluge and just heavy, when coupled with a bitingly cold wind, sucked the heat from players’ bodies. Any handling was at a premium, as the ball seemed like soap.

Campbell seemed to cope with the conditions better, early on, and put together a series of promising attacks. A scrambling Wallace defence held firm and broke the siege after 10 minutes.

On 18 minutes, Wallace’s pick & goes, close to the Campbell line, produced dividends. Daniel Macklin-Copeland forced his way over close to . . .