Bowlers' Service Sermon: Philippians 3: 4-14 Paul's Aim

Tonight, we gather to give thanks to God for sport, and particularly for the friendship and fellowship we enjoy through the Bowling Club. While I haven’t thrown any bowls here yet, I was first introduced to bowls at the age of 8, when my great-aunt Rebecca brought me along to the Cathedral club in Dromore. I played for about 12 years or so, then took it up again when we moved to Fermanagh, playing for the Aghavea church team. Hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to play in the near future.

As I was preparing for this evening, and thinking about playing bowls, our Bible reading from Philippians came to mind. When you’re playing bowls, you count up, or you keep the score; there is the only thing that counts - being close to the Jack; and there’s the way you aim for it. Score, what counts, and aiming. And those three elements of bowling are the things that the apostle Paul talks about in relation to his life.

So first, let’s think about the score. In a friendly match, or when you’re having a practice night, it doesn’t really matter what the score is. But, this week as the tournament has been progressing, and especially tomorrow night when the finals are being held, the score is very important. It’s how you know who’s winning, who’s succeeding.

And in terms of life, Paul outlines in verses 4-6 the points he has scored, the reasons he had confidence in the flesh. He lists his religious achievements - the things that showed how successful he was. He was circumcised according to the Old Testament law; he was a Hebrew of Hebrews, his parents were Israelites from the tribe of Benjamin. Those things were given to him, but the next ones he chose to pursue - he became a Pharisee, a strict follower of the law; in terms of his zeal, he persecuted the church, because he thought they were false teachers; and as for legalistic righteousness, doing what he could do to obey the law, he was regarded as faultless. For a religious person, this was a high score.

We might also try to score ourselves highly, even if we use different categories - the charity work we do; the help we give to people; our paying in to church; or whatever it is that we might think - that’s in my good book. That's to my credit.

A few months ago, the team I was part of won our section of the Fermanagh Churches League. Section D, mind you, the lowest section on the league - and it wasn’t because of anything I had done. We made it to the playoffs. As our team was playing, I was keeping an eye on the scores on the other mats. And over on the far mat, their scoreboard was ticking over nicely. I was thinking to myself - our rink over there is doing well, that’ll help our overall score. And then I happened to be watching as an end finished, and I realised that it was the other team scoring all those points! The high score I thought we had was actually against us.

And that’s what Paul realised about putting his confidence in the flesh, what he could achieve: ‘But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.’ And on over in verse 8 he says that he considers them ‘rubbish’ - or dung. The things he prized, his high score, he now realises it’s useless, something to be rid of.

And he says that, because he now knows the one thing that counts above everything else; the only thing that matters. On a bowling mat, the only thing that matters is being close to the Jack. Well, the apostle Paul says that the only thing that matters in life is being close to the Lord Jesus. ‘What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.’ Knowing Jesus is the only thing that matters for Paul, the only thing that counts.

And the way he does that isn’t by his own achievements, it’s only by faith in Christ - and receiving a right standing with God. The Lord Jesus is the one who gave himself for you; he came to this earth to rescue you from your sins by dying in your place. He freely offers us his righteousness as we trust him.

Verse 10 summarises what being close to Jesus, being in Jesus, knowing Jesus is all about: ‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead.’

The one thing that counts - knowing Christ, and the power of his resurrection - having the power that raised Jesus from the dead living and working in our lives. And we think - yes, I’d like that. But we stop there. Knowing Christ, and his power, we’ll have some of that. But Paul goes further. To also have the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. As we follow Jesus, knowing him and his power, we may also experience suffering and hardship. But it is in the way of the cross that we experience the resurrection; it is in our own sufferings that we experience the power of Christ and the grace of Christ to keep and sustain us.

This was the thing that mattered in Paul’s life. So what is the thing that matters most in your life? Is it the same? Or are you living for something different?

To get the score, you need to be close to the Jack. And to get close to the Jack, you need to aim. You have to see where you want your bowl to go, forehand or backhand, how tight to the stick, and how much weight. The skip can tell you so much, but it all comes down to your aim.

In verses 12-14, we see what Paul says about his aim in life. He realises that he isn’t there yet; he hasn’t made it yet; but in the meantime, ‘I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.’ And there in verse 13 we see the ‘one thing I do’ - ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.’

When I was learning to drive, I had this bad habit of not turning around when I was reversing. I’d just kind of try to see in the mirrors, but it was more of a keep going till you feel the bump or hear the bang. And my driving instructor gave me some valuable advice - you wouldn’t look out the back window when you’re driving forward, so don’t face forward when you’re reversing. Look the way you’re going.

And that would probably work on the bowling mat too. You wouldn’t try to bowl backwards. So look the way you’re going, and go for it. Forget what lies behind - whatever the score might be; whether yesterday has been good or bad or indifferent, press on today! Strain towards what is ahead. Aim forward towards the goal, and win the prize of the heavenly call.

As we press forwards, looking to Jesus, the prize is already in reach. Christ Jesus has taken hold of us, and God has called us to it. It's yours for the taking as you trust Jesus and receive him as your Saviour and your Lord.

The bowling mat helps us think about:

1. the score - the things you think are for you might be against you;

2. and the only thing that matters - being close to Jesus, knowing him;

3. and the aim - pressing forward to be with Jesus. So what’s stopping you? Tonight we have this opportunity to get to know Jesus, perhaps for the first time - don't waste this opportunity. Get to know the one who gave himself for you. I'd love to introduce you to him. Or maybe you are already a Christian. May God's word to you tonight is to reevaluate your score, what you're depending on for salvation; and to refocus our aim, and press on towards the one thing that really counts - knowing Jesus.

This sermon was preached at the Bowlers' Service at the end of the St Matthew's Bowling Club Tournament in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday 15th October 2017. St Matthew's Bowling Club meets on Monday and Thursday nights, and new members are always welcome!

Book Review: Green is the Colour

One of the best things about buying books as presents for family members is the opportunity to then borrow the book after they have finished with it. Not that I specifically buy books for others that I would like to read myself, I hasten to add! But when we had bought dad 'Green is the Colour: The Story of Irish Football' by Peter Byrne, I was hoping to get a read of it after him.

Sadly, that was where my enthusiasm for the book waned. On beginning the book, I quickly discovered that far from being a fair history of the whole of Irish football, north and south, as it purported to be, it is rather an impassioned history of football in the Republic of Ireland, with some grudging references to Northern Ireland. With the frequent and disappointing calls for one united Irish football team, especially after recent World Cup Qualifiers, I thought this might have helped to understand the reason there are two football associations on the island. After all, the argument goes, most other sports are organised on an island-wide basis. Why not football?

The reason is that the IFA covered the whole island, but in 1921 southern teams and associations left to form the FAIFS (Football Association of the Irish Free State - which later became the Football Association of Ireland FAI). Byrne covers the story exclusively from a southern end, with the purest intentions of those in the south, whereas the evil northerners were motivated by sectarianism and greed. There were difficulties surrounding the national team, with the IFA continuing to field the team called Ireland - with members from the Free State continuing to play for it until they were threatened with discipline from the FAIFS.

Even more disappointing, though, was the scant coverage of international and local football north of the border. While chapters are devoted to the fortunes of Ireland (ROI)'s internationals, it would seem that Northern Ireland hadn't bothered to play any internationals for about thirty years. Similarly, with focus on the major clubs in the League of Ireland, the only real focus on the northern clubs is on the alleged sectarianism of Linfield etc in causing riots when they played Belfast Celtic.

He had to mention the three World Cup campaigns fought by Northern Ireland (Sweden 1958, Spain 1982, Mexico 1986), but the coverage of those seems sparse compared to the coverage of the Republic of Ireland's trips to Italy 1990, USA 1994 and Japan/South Korea 2002. Indeed, the whole of Northern Irish football from 1987 to 2012 gets three paragraphs in the very final chapter, which is also full of wishful thinking and propaganda trying to push for a united international team.

The football pundit might find lots of interesting facts and figures and details, but this reader was left very disappointed by the tone and bias of the book. If you want to learn more about (southern) Irish football, it'll be right up your street, but not if you're wanting to discover more about Northern Ireland's footballing history. Green is the Colour is available from Amazon and for the Kindle.

Book Review: Calico Joe

From this side of the Atlantic Ocean, the game of baseball seems like a glorified version of rounders. A game which our American cousins get overly excited about. A game that thrives on statistics and innings and home runs and such like. You might wonder why you would want to read a book about baseball at all. Calico Joe by John Grisham is that very book, and yet it's definitely one to read - even without knowing the first thing about the game.

Very helpfully, Grisham provides a brief introduction to the game for his British and international readers before he launches in to the story. In those 14 pages, he runs the reader through the basics, setting around 88 terms in their context with explanation. This book is worth it just to catch a grasp of baseball - he definitely hits a home run with the introduction!

I've previously written about my love of Grisham's story telling, and this book is no exception. The story is narrated by Paul Tracy, the son of Warren Tracy - a pitcher for the New York Mets. It follows the events of Paul's childhood, growing up mad about baseball, yet with an uneasy relationship with his father, made worse by the events of one particular night. Now, thirty years on, Paul seeks to bring reconciliation, but could it be possible to right one wrong from so long ago?

Grisham's observations about people, and his characterisation continues to his high standard. There are moments of gentle humour, as well as touching moments. The breakdown between father and son is captured and portrayed painfully and realistically. And the ending? Well, it comes just a little too quickly. Towards the end it seems that it all finishes quite abruptly, which was disappointing.

If you're into sports, it's a book to savour. If you're into fiction, you'll think it fantastic. And if, like me, Grisham is one of your favourite authors, then you'll enjoy this, one of his latest contributions. Calico Joe is available from Amazonand on the Kindle.

Book Review: Parson's Pitch

I got the loan of this 1964 book through a pastoral visit, and so it managed to jump the to-be-read queue in order to be returned before I leave this parish! It came into my brief possession through a guy who played cricket, so I lent him Penguins Stopped Play, and he gave me this one.

Parson's Pitch is a sort of autobiography of the cricketing cleric, David Sheppard, who eventually went on to become Bishop of Liverpool, having been the only Test cricketer to have been ordained. As such, there were some chapters that were more interesting and appealing than others, as the material switched from cricketing stories and matches to the story of his conversion and faith.

As I've said, the book was written in the early 1960s and so seems quite time-bound in the cricket details. I don't know quite enough about cricket, nor about the famous players from the 1930s to 60s to have appreciated some of what he was writing about. This was especially the case given the last three chapters are an almost blow-by-blow account of the English tour of Australia in the 1962-63 season, with much more detail than the casual reader would have wanted, even more so fifty years later! Perhaps it was a huge selling point when it first came out, but less so with the passing of time.

That being said, it would still be useful as an evangelistic book for sport mad men, if you had a local cricket team you were trying to reach with the gospel. They may better appreciate the cricket stories, but within they will also find a clear explanation of the good news of Jesus Christ, how Sheppard was soundly converted, and how he openly talks of his Christian faith affecting every part of his life, even his sport.

There were some choice quotes, which might whet your appetite:

'It is all too easy to handle holy things without consciously coming close to God at all.'

'I found it fascinating and important, but tried to keep firmly in my mind that all this was a background to meeting real needs of real people, and not simply some unending intellectual argument.' (On his theological studies at Ridley College)

I'm glad to have read it, and I'm sure it had a great impact when first released, but perhaps the passing of time has been less kind to this book. Nevertheless, the timeless gospel is presented clearly within, and therefore it may yet nudge people along the way as they read a cricket autobiography and find the living Lord Jesus who saved David Sheppard, Test Cricketer and Clergyman.

McFlurry's McLinks World Cup Special

Search on Google for 'World Cup' and you'll be presented with about 150,000,000 sites. Let's add another one to the total, with a special version of McFlurry's McLinks for the launch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup today in South Africa. It's just a pity that the Green and White Army of Northern Ireland aren't there, but to make up for it, here's some links to explore!

The Simple Pastor linked to the World Cup stadia. He also linked to the economics of the World Cup from Mint.

Rick Hill had some observations on the World Cup, and he's going for England to win. Don't think so Rick - I couldn't bear it if they did!

Bishop Nick Baines published some World Cup prayers.

On Slugger O'Toole, Mick Fealty wants anyone but Brazil and Germany to win.

On my Twitter feed, there was a classic tweet (which I can't find now, nor who composed it), but it went along the lines of - 'England have won the World Cup once, the rest of the world have won it every other time. The odds are in our favour!'

The FIFA website is hosting a fantasy football league for the World Cup, sponsored by McDonald's. One of my friends created a league - there's still time to sign up!

Perhaps the best blog on the subject was Church Mouse presenting the World Cup Bible (some real groaners contained here, but I might just use these over the next few days...).

Wallace Busted by BRA

This year is not to be The Wallace High School's year for the Schools Cup, despite a brave show in today's semi final against Belfast Royal Academy. The game ended 16-12 in BRA's favour, with an exciting finish as they ran out worthy winners.

Playing into the sun in the first half at Ravenhill, Wallace gained a surprisingly large lead, with two tries and one conversion. Despite BRA looking the stronger side, they only managed one penalty to end up at halftime with Wallace leading by 12-3.

Those twelve points were all Wallace would score as the second half appeared to be mostly encamped in the Wallace half, their defence under siege for most of the time, and the BRA pressure paid off. BRA's strength was on show, whereas the Wallace players seemed to struggle with cramp later in the game. Another two penalties meant that it was 12-9 in the last five minutes, but BRA always
looked like scoring. The pressure paid off with a converted try with two minutes left on the clock. Wallace failed to regroup and push for the needed try in those last two minutes, and BRA gained their ticket to the final on St Patrick's Day with a solid performance. Their supporters, who had been silent all day finally came to life right at the end, but still they were fairly quiet.

All in all a good game of rugby, a fair performance by Wallace, but BRA deserved to win. All the best to them in the final against either Methody or Ballymena Academy.

Esperance

That word is the school motto of my old school. It was emblazoned on our blazers, just one word: hope.

Hope is high today. It's the Semi-Final of the Schools' Cup at Ravenhill later this afternoon. Wallace take on Belfast Royal Academy (BRA). Let's hope the lads from Lisburn can make it through to the St Patrick's Day final. Could this be our year?

Esperance!

Corporate Worship

Last night, I was at a radically different form of corporate worship. The congregation was overwhelmingly male, although there were family-friendly elements, and the hymns and canticles were sung loudly. There was one prayer, at the start, and elements of ceremony to rival any rubrics and liturgy. There was almost a mega-church sized congregation of approximately 13,000 worshippers. And right in the centre of the worship gathering, the pantheon of gods were very present, receiving and welcoming their adoration.

By now you've probably worked out I'm talking about being at Windsor Park for the Northern Ireland v Israel game which was tied 1-1. Yet without much exaggeration, it's clear to see that football matches are a form of worship. The crowds flock to see their heroes, spending huge amounts of money, not just on the match ticket, but also on the replica kit (or at least a shirt), scarf, face paint, flags and (for some) the drink.



Why is it that blokes will join in singing loudly at a football match, but hardly open their mouths in church? Why are blokes becoming an endangered species in our churches? It's a worrying development, not least because some godly, faithful Christian women are drawn to non-Christian men rather than holding out for a believer.

How can we create the community in which men are more comfortable in church? Or are we more happy to be more passionate about eleven men kicking a bit of leather around than about the good news of King Jesus?

Wanted: A Few Good Men to reach our generation of young men who are adrift in a world of sex, booze, porn, and gambling and to turn their lives around by proclaiming Jesus. Who is up to this mission field?

Wimbledon, Here I Come. Not!

A few Sundays ago, I'd heard a guy from church talking about playing tennis with his brother. Ah, I thought, I like tennis, and can play a wee bit. Maybe we should play some day. Despite the fact that it's two or three summers since we played tennis, and my last organised games would have been back when I went to the summer scheme at Dromore Community Centre, about twelve years ago.

So earlier this week, we played some tennis. Or rather, he played some tennis and I struggled. The end result? 6-0 6-0 6-0. The Beatles were wrong. Love is not all you need- some points would be nice! Several times I had the opportunity of winning a game, but my service was letting me down- either too short or too long. Total humiliation, even though Richard tried to help me out with some training tips to improve my serves and returns.

So I won't be booking a place at Wimbledon in the near future. The British hopes won't be carried on these shoulders. But a good hour of exercise, especially running to get the ball all the time! A rematch has been planned for some time in August when we're back from holidays. Somehow I don't rate my chances too highly!

Norn Iron - Champions of Europe?

Hard to imagine that the winners of the European Championship 2008 are the team that lowly Northern Ireland managed to defeat 3-2 in Belfast not so long ago. Wonder if by that logic, we should be counted as the real Champions? ;-)

To recall that great night at Windsor Park, you can see Healy's second goal as captured on my camera over at YouTube.

Think the Spanish deserved to win on Sunday night - Germany were playing really badly. Well done Spain!

Linfield's Got The Blues

St Pat's 2 - 0 Linfield.

This evening I was just settling down to write an essay, when John came into the room, with a strong temptation. Linfield were coming down to play St Patrick's Athletic in the Setanta Cup. Could we possibly get tickets?

Initially, I was going to write the essay. But then the thought of watching the Irish League leaders in Dublin grew stronger, and I grabbed the car keys. Quick check online as to where they play, and a check of the map to see where to go, and we were off to Richmond Park.

Got parked outside the ground handy enough, and managed to get tickets in the home stand - after having proved that we were adopted Dubliners (by me producing my Trinity College student card). As a security measure, no one was allowed to buy tickets without proof of being non-Linfield fans.

So there we were, in the home stand - two seats away from me, and over the wall in the director's box was the Lord Mayor of Dublin (with a portrait of King Billy on his mayoral chain of office, nonetheless). Sitting right at the halfway line. Game on.

Linfield weren't at the game at all - maybe one chance in the first half, and a couple in the second half. St Pat's however were in a different league. The forwards seemed much faster, getting past the defenders time after time after time. After seven minutes, they were 1-0 but they should have gone in at half time leading by at least 10, the number of chances they squandered. At times it seemed as if the ball was simply refusing to go in for them.

Linfield started better in the second half, but soon St Pat's were back in their rhythm, with more relentless pressure on the Linfield defence. Near the end they got a second - a cracker goal from the edge of the box, with the Linfield keeper not even moving as he watched it fly into the net.

So a convincing win for the side that started the match bottom of the Setanta Cup group. All in all a great game to watch for the neutral supporter.

Just a few wee things were a bit troubling. During the game, some in the St Pat's terraces were chanting 'The IRA...' and waving a huge tricolour. That was at the other side of the ground from me, but it surely made me uncomfortable. the Garda operation at the end of the game was interesting, to say the least. When we made it out of the ground (well after all the Linfield supporters' buses had left), the Garda had erected a barrier across the road - with my car on the other side! A huge number of uniformed officers as well as dog handlers, horses and cops in riot gear were manning the barriers, and in the end myself and maybe twenty or so others were trapped between police lines when the riot cops moved in and drove most of the crowd back down the road (those wearing hoodies and covering their faces). Thankfully we eventually got through, but not before some of the other men in the crowd made their feelings very well known to the policemen on duty.

But the disruption wasn't too bad, and didn't spoil a good night of football, when Linfield truly had a bad case of the blues...

It's Just Like Watching Brazil

A common chant around Windsor Park at Northern Ireland games. Well tonight for me, it wasn't just like watching Brazil, I actually was! Brazil came to Croke Park to take on the Republic of Ireland, and the Reverend John managed to get us tickets through his network of Donegal contacts.

This was my first time at Croke Park, and I have to say, I was impressed with the size. Roughly 88,000 people jampacked into the stadium - an awful lot bigger than Windsor Park on match day. However, the stadium doesn't look right - it looks sort of half-done, as the stands aren't the whole way round. One end only has about half a stand, on the bottom deck.

Yet despite the number of people there, I think I have seen livelier funerals. Give me the 14,000 passionate Northern Ireland supporters of the Green and White Army any day. At Windsor we sing from start to finish (and after), but there seemed to be little passion in the Irish fans tonight.

To give them their dues, Ireland played well, with some good moves. In the first half, the Brazilian right-back didn't win a chase at all, and he wasn't much better in the second half. Duff and Keane seemed to work well together, and I was impressed with McGeady as well.

Yet I wasn't there to see the boys in green. It was all about the team in yellow; the nation who have set all the records in the World Cup; the team who showed their outstanding class and skill in simple but elegant football, threading together passes and not hurrying shots - as someone behind me remarked, 'they're trying to walk the ball into the net!' And on the 66th minute, score they did - Robinho finishing a good advance up the pitch.

For me, though, while the whole Brazilian team was impressive, my man of the match would have to be Julio Baptista, their number 7. No matter where the action was, he was involved; he seemed to always be on or near the ball, and covered every inch of the pitch.

All in all, a good evening, and us country boys managed to negotiate our way through the heaving streets of Dublin - the crowds that were out, you would think it was the Twelfth day!

And now the sports report

I've managed to survive the football match! Having not played football in ages, I wasn't sure how I would cope. The Cathedral team very generously gave me (and Nigel) to the Elim team as they didn't have enough players. So in the ecumenical gesture, I was playing with people I didn't know, and slotted into the left back position (no, not left back behind the line...). The odd time I managed to get a break up the field, and had my best chance near the end of the first half, but my angles weren't on target.

The final score was 8-2 to the Elim, so I ended up on the winning side! Now I'll have to recover and hope my legs aren't too sore in the morning...

Football

Heading out shortly to watch and/or play football. The Cathedral are taking on the Elim Pentecostal Church. Ferris Park, Dromore at 9pm. More news later on...

CITC v Union College: Full press coverage

Above we have a couple of photographs from the CITC v Union College football match on Wednesday. Some more are available here. Below, we hopefully have a video clip from the game. I even managed to get the fourth Union goal on the video - right at the end of the clip. Despite Barry Forde's valiant efforts to keep them out, Union manage to score on the third attempt.

Was it a martyrdom?

Just a very quick posting, as I'm leading chapel in the morning so need to be up early! For all you football fans eagerly waiting for the result, here it is:

Church of Ireland Theological College 1 - 8 Union College.

Given that it was just 2-0 at half time, the Union team played really well in the second half, taking most of their chances. I managed to get the fourth goal on video (I think - I haven't watched it back yet) and will duly post it on Youtube. Also, some pictures will be up over the weekend on Flickr - I can't upload them on our wireless network.

CITC v Union College: Match Preview

Yes folks, the day of the biggest football match of the year has arrived. Forget last Saturday's game when Linfield (sadly) claimed the Irish League at the Oval against Glentoran. Forget the FA Cup Final when Man United are going to win it again.

This afternoon, the big game is the Church of Ireland Theological College v Union College. The Anglicans against the Presbyterians. Who will win?

The match kicks off at 2.30pm at UCD Bellfield (Clonskeagh entrance). A full report and some photos will follow in due course.

I've decided not to play... as I'm not fit enough, but I'll hopefully be there to cheer on our boys (and girls).

Come on CITC!!!

Oh What a Night! (2007 Remix for Sweden)

I'm not long home from Windsor Park, and oh how happy I am!!! Somehow, David Healy and Northern Ireland have done it again! We've moved to the top of the Qualifying Group F by beating Sweden 2-1 tonight in Belfast. Yes, David Healy got both the goals, but it was a whole team effort - all the lads playing their hearts out; defending well when needed, and attacking with passion and some skill.

It seemed that it would be a disappointing night when Sweden took the lead, but shortly after, Healy grabbed an equaliser. And then in the second half (again from open play), Johnston went up the right wing in a counter-attack, and crossed for Healy to score the winner! While the Swedes piled on the pressure in the second half, the defence kept them out, as well as Maik Taylor, who was outstanding. There was one moment of fear, when Sweden attacked, and one of our defenders hit the ball out for a corner, only for it to bounce off the post... relief that it went away!

Oh, and the best bit of the night? I managed to get both of David Healy's goals on camera... see below for the full clip!

Green and White Army on the march again!

Following Northern Ireland's convincing 4-1 win on Saturday night in Leichtenstein, the Green and White Army are out again tonight, as they prepare to play Sweden at Windsor Park, Belfast. As always, I'll have my camera with me, poised to take a great photo, or maybe even film another Healy goal! I'll maybe update later on...

Wallace still without the School's Cup

It is with great sadness that I report on the rugby game at Ravenhill this afternoon. The Schools Cup Final of 2007. Wallace out for their first win, and RBAI out for their 29th victory. It was a wild and stormy day, with some rain showers... and very cold on the terraces!

In the first half, Inst got a try in the 13th minute, and that was the scoring done. Wallace's defence holding them well. Sadly, not so much forward movement for Wallace.

In the second half, Wallace put together some good moves, but the passing failed them... and when they ran forward, they always ran into the brick wall of Inst's defence. There was simply no way through for Wallace, yet the valiantly kept trying. However, Inst piled on the pressure, getting a penalty, and towards the end converted a try to bring the 15-0 scoreline.

So, from a blustery Ravenhill, it was disappointment for Wallace High School, and victory (yet again) for the Royal Belfast Academical Institution.