301:, whose Headmaster, the late W.H. Mol, had taken over the position of Club President. Ballymena a Senior Club After a number of successful years, which produced successive Junior League Championship wins in 1950–51 and 1951–52, an application was made to the Ulster Branch for admission to the senior ranks, and so, in the 1952–53 season, Ballymena became a Senior Club. Two years later, they moved to their present home at Eaton Park, then a modest 9 acres, which they had acquired from the Mid-Antrim Sports Association, and where other sports like Cricket, Tennis, Men's Hockey and later Athletics, were being catered for. Only the first of these has survived, and continues to flourish as a very successful and thriving Section of the Club. The following couple of decades saw Eaton Park expand to 30-odd acres, and the erection of a pavilion, a function hall, training floodlights, a grandstand and a clubhouse with kitchen facilities. Success After acquiring senior status in 1952, Ballymena had to wait ten years for their next playing success, winning the Senior Cup in 1962–63, benefiting from the leadership and superb place-kicking of captain
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in 1887, but the Club as we know it today, began after the First World War, in 1922, and entered the Junior League in the 1923–24 season, playing their games in the local
Demesne. Within the next 10 years, they twice won both the Provincial Towns· Cup and the Junior Challenge Cup, and even competed,
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Trail
Blazers in 1970, Ballymena blazed a trail in Irish rugby by appointing a principal coach, Maurice Crabbe, adopting a squad system and setting up a club coaching scheme, and the stage was set for the golden decade that was to follow, during which Ballymena were arguably the foremost club in
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albeit with little success, in the Senior
Challenge Cup. The Post War Era at the end of the Second World War, the Club reformed, and were now playing at the Showgrounds, using the changing facilities provided by
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Ulster and
Ireland. They contributed many players to the Ulster Provincial side and to the Irish International team during this period, which came to a climax in 1980 with a major Club tour to Canada.
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284:. The club fields five adult teams and an under-20s team. In youth rugby, there are under-18s, under-16s and under-14s teams.
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Ballymena RFC was first affiliated to the
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The following
Ballymena players have also represented the
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398:Category:Ballymena R.F.C. players
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134:, Gareth Fisher, Stefan McMaster
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413:at full international level.
258:Ballymena Rugby Football Club
130:Don Nicholl, Darrell O'Kane,
52:Ballymena Rugby Football Club
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610:The Ireland Rugby Miscellany
82:; 137 years ago
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276:. It is affiliated to the
264:club based in the town of
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512:British and Irish Lions
506:British and Irish Lions
612:(2007): Ciaran Cronin
598:League Tables 2022–23
1047:Ulster Senior League
353:Ulster Senior League
519:Willie John McBride
434:Willie John McBride
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1192:Sport in Ballymena
1141:Queen's University
1106:Belfast Harlequins
1067:Ulster Schools Cup
1018:IRFU Ulster Branch
885:Galway Corinthians
870:Belfast Harlequins
783:Queen's University
672:All-Ireland League
331:All-Ireland League
313:and the legendary
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247:ballymenarugbyclub
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16:(Redirected from
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386:† Won by 2nd XV
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355:: 14 (3 shared)
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1035:Competitions
1026:Part of the
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834:MU Barnhall
802:Division 2A
741:Division 1B
680:Division 1A
566:Steve Smith
499:Chris Henry
489:Bryan Young
479:Jamie Smith
469:Steve Smith
262:rugby union
120:Rodney Cole
1161:Categories
1126:Instonians
1062:McCrea Cup
961:Galwegians
890:Instonians
824:Greystones
778:Old Wesley
753:Buccaneers
544:Syd Millar
444:Syd Millar
424:Isaac Boss
419:Jonny Bell
307:Syd Millar
29:Rugby team
1121:Dungannon
1101:Banbridge
1091:Ballymena
976:Tullamore
915:Wanderers
880:Dungannon
814:Banbridge
809:Ballymena
788:St Mary's
763:Highfield
758:Garryowen
712:Lansdowne
396:See also
288:Formation
266:Ballymena
140:League(s)
126:Coach(es)
117:President
102:Ballymena
96:Ground(s)
48:Full name
33:Ballymena
966:Midleton
905:Skerries
895:Malahide
702:Cork Con
697:Clontarf
109:Chairman
951:Clonmel
931:Ballina
875:Dolphin
717:Shannon
585:Sources
411:Ireland
405:Ireland
336:2002–03
325:Honours
151:2022–23
85: (
77:Founded
1146:Rainey
1131:Malone
936:Bangor
900:Rainey
829:Malone
819:Cashel
692:Armagh
278:Ulster
71:Ulster
67:Branch
971:Omagh
941:Bruff
910:Sligo
839:Navan
366:: 13
344:: 14
260:is a
221:Team
57:Union
768:Naas
579:2017
570:1989
561:1983
552:1968
548:1962
539:1974
535:1971
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377:: 8
333:: 1
249:.com
154:7th.
87:1887
80:1887
61:IRFU
793:UCC
727:UCD
223:kit
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