Royal Belfast Academical Institution (6) 13
TRY: James Hume. CON: James Hume. PEN: James Hume (2).
Campbell College (3) 3
PEN: John Crowther
RBAI completed a smash and grab raid at Ravenhill on St Patrick’s afternoon coming away with the Ulster Schools Cup for the second year in succession.
It’s been quite a season for the boys at Inst who have won all four trophies on offer this season, including back to back wins in the prestigious Schools Cup and Medallion Shield.
The hero of the hour was centre James Hume who claimed all the points with a try, conversion and two penalties, marking a good afternoon’s work for the young centre. However, credit must go to the Inst defence as they were under the cosh for much of this match with Campbell enjoying the bulk of territory and possession from the end of the opening quarter.
By that time Hume had given RBAI a 3 – 0 advantage with a successful penalty in the opening minutes and Campbell looked somewhat overawed by the occasion, taking a good fifteen minutes to get into the game.
Having weathered the storm Campbell levelled the game on the 22nd minute with John Crowther knocking over a penalty after a couple of attacking line outs had been repulsed.
The boys in black continued to attack throughout the remainder of the half but Inst held on a delivered a telling blow when Hume knocked over his second penalty with the last kick of the half to give RBAI a 6 – 3 lead at the break.
Campbell threw everything they had at RBAI in the second half. Crowther missed an early chance to level the game however, when Inst’s Mark Keane was binned for an alleged high tackle, it looked like it would only be a matter of time before the amber and black defence was breached.
It looked that Campbell had made the breakthrough as the game approached the final stages only for Jack Barry-Glendinning‘s effort to be disallowed for an earlier knock on.
With the game on a knife edge the deciding blow was landed in the final minute when Hume intercepted a loose pass to sprint clear from the half way line, the young centre knocking over the conversion with the final kick off the game.
Final Score: Royal Belfast Academical Institution 13 Campbell College 3
RBAI: Joseph Finnegan, Conor Field, James Hume, Ben McGavock, Mark Keane, Michael Lowry, Rhys O’Donnell, Callum Reid, Neil Saulters, John Dickson, Harry Gallagher, Pierce McLernon, Charlie Fryers, Charles Cloke, David Whitten. Replacements: Bailey Gribben Jake Chambers, Corrie Barrett, Blair Robinson, Yasser Omar, Niall Armstrong, David Lyttle, Zak Davidson.
Campbell College: Ben Webb, Justin Savage, Jonny Haldane, Nicolai Koplewsky, Jack Howard, Patrick Beverland, Malcolm Corry, Matthew Russell, James Boyle, Tom O’Toole, James Nelson, Matthew Crowther , Jamie Macartney, John Crowther, Jack Barry-Glendinning. Replacements: Josh Chambers, Jamie Clarke, John McKee, Marcus Collim, Tom Brady, Rory Cahoon, Oscar Yandall, Ryan Meharg.
