Omagh progress in Junior Cup

10th October 2026

Omagh Accies 31–12 Ballymoney

Omagh Accies booked their place in the semi-finals of the Solarfix NI Junior Cup with a hard fought 31–12 victory over Ballymoney at a windswept Thomas Mellon Playing Fields.

The Accies were forced to work hard and produced an impressive attacking display, running in five tries against a determined Ballymoney side who proved difficult opponents throughout.

Omagh opened the scoring with a superb individual effort from Sean Kerr. A powerful carry from Jamie Sproule took the home side towards halfway before Kerr spotted space behind the Ballymoney defence. The winger chipped ahead, gathered the bouncing ball and raced over in the corner for an excellent score. Connor Watherston-Spencer added a superb touchline conversion to give the Accies an early 7–0 advantage.

The home side extended their lead following a well-executed move from a tap penalty. Sproule again provided the initial momentum, carrying strongly and going close to the Ballymoney line. Quick recycling saw the ball moved across the pitch to Atino Toeanna, who cleverly drew the final defender before releasing Scott Ballentine to cross for first try of the day. The conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Omagh 12–0 ahead.

However, Ballymoney refused to go away and enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure approaching the interval. Following a series of close range pick and goes, the visitors eventually forced their way over for an unconverted try, leaving the contest finely balanced at the turnaround.

Half-time: Omagh Accies 12–5 Ballymoney

Omagh made a strong start to the second half, with Jamie Sproule and Josh McKinley combining to make valuable ground through the Ballymoney defence. Watherston-Spencer then produced a perfectly weighted grubber kick behind the defensive line, allowing Noa Euta to race through and touch down. Watherston-Spencer converted to extend the Accies’ advantage to 19–5.

With the Omagh pack beginning to assert its dominance at scrum time, the home side soon added a fourth try. A powerful five metre scrum drove Ballymoney backwards towards their own line before scrumhalf Fintan Lagan picked from the base, sold a clever dummy and powered over. Watherston-Spencer added the extras to put Omagh firmly in control at 26–5.

The Accies were far from finished and produced their best attacking passage of the afternoon straight from the restart.

Josh McKinley gathered the kick-off and immediately broke through the Ballymoney defensive line before linking with Mark Hopton-Brown. The replacement hooker showed impressive strength to bounce off a tackle before releasing Ballentine into space down the right touchline. The winger needed no second invitation, racing clear from 40 metres to claim his second try of the afternoon and cap a superb attacking move.

Ballymoney continued to battle until the final whistle and were rewarded with a late try down their left wing, which was converted, to complete the scoring.

Full-time: Omagh Accies 31–12 Ballymoney

It was a positive afternoon for the Accies, who were made to work hard for their victory against a physical Ballymoney outfit that competed fiercely at the breakdown.

While the visitors caused problems in the contact area, Omagh’s dominance at scrum time provided an excellent platform, allowing their dangerous backline to demonstrate its attacking firepower. The Accies can take plenty of confidence from the result.

Omagh now advance to the semi-finals of the Solarfix NI Junior Cup, just one victory away from securing a coveted post-Christmas final appearance at the Affidea Stadium.