27th October 2018 Lurgan entertained Lisburn on Saturday at Pollock Park in Qualifying Two and took the spoils after a tight fought affair.
In perfect conditions both sides fought out the first half with both teams failing to trouble the scoreboard with the visitors coming close with a missed penalty on the half hour mark as the score remained 0-0 at the break.
In the second half the game opened up with some free flowing rugby from both sides. Lurgan took the lead when Stephen Nolan kicked a penalty five minutes into the second period. He doubled his sides lead just minutes later after more indiscipline from the visitors for a 6-0 lead.
From the restart Lurgan turned over and Lisburn took play towards the home sides line and after a number of phases went over for an unconverted try in the right hand corner.
With 15 minutes to go Nolan extended his sides lead with his third successful penalty for a 9-5 lead. But back came Lisburn and they took the lead with 11 minutes remaining with a try in the left hand corner.
The try went unconverted but the Lisburn side took a slender 10-9 lead into the closing stages.
What came next proved to be the winning score and move of the match by the home side.
A line out just inside their own half was was by captain Dean Wilson off the top to scrum half Chris Jenks who fed our half Dillon Gill who in turn found right wing Ryan Mooney coming in off his wing to burst through the first tackle and pin his ears back and show the Lisburn defence a clean pair of heels and dot down in the left hand corner in from of the clubhouse in what proved to be the winning score with Nolan’s conversion drifting just wide.
The home side closed the game out in the final stages to take their second win of the season by 14-10.
This win sees Lurgan move up to sixth place in Qualifying Two and elsewhere Limavady lead the way after a 14-10 win at Ballymoney. Second placed Academy secured a 55-8 bonus point win at home to UCC while Ards scored six tries in a 37-3 win at home to Larne.