Currently the 1st XV have drifted out of the title race after a good start to the league. They currently lie 3rd behind Bangor, However, Coleraine are unbeaten and look to be suring up promotion as the season develops.

In the Junior Cup they made it to the 1/4 final stages however Dromore where the winners of this encounter.

Mention must go to Michael Campbell who is having an explosive season on the wing with 14 tries already under his belt.

The 2nd XV are rebuilding after several changes in personnel, but it now seems to be coming together as they lie 4th the their league.

The 3rd’s and 4th’s had a disappointing start to their league campaigns but are now starting to show form.

The 5th XV enjoy success with the importing of Fijian players into their ranks

A new addition to the club this year is Sean Longstaff who is now employed as The Ballyclare Youth Development Officer. Sean is a New Zealander though has 13 International caps for Scotland. Along with Mark Holland, Alan Jones and Robin Byres great progression is being made at the U14 & U16 age groups. The Ulster branch now organise leagues at this level and both groups are doing well with the U16’s being unbeaten.

Saturday mornings still sees Mini, Maxi and Micro rugby covering all junior age groups at The Cloughan.

Although the sun shone for most of the season and The Cloughan wicket played as well as it has ever done, the 1st XI pushed themselves right to the end of the season to ensure league security in Section 3. With some Senior players unavailable at times, a very young side carried most of the work and will have learnt a lot from the years experiences.

Congratulations to OBA Life Member, Arthur Campbell on completing his 6th season as 1st XI Captain and becoming the clubs top all time run scorer. He has now passed the reigns onto others and decided to concentrate on furthering his run tally.

The 2nd XI pushed for promotion throughout and finished second while the 3rd XI and 4th XI gave young players the opportunity of the longer game.

The Under 13’s were the most successful of the Youth sides. They won their league with an unbeaten run, while the U11’s made it to the semis of the cup.

Congratulations to Robert Smith who was selected for the NCU U13 team and the Belfast U14 team and to Christopher Stevenson and Jordan Annett who where selected for the NCU U11 team.

With promotion last year to the top level of Senior 1, this season was always going to be hard for the 1st XI and so it is proving. They have obtained a win and a draw and are hoping that fellow strugglers Victorians don’t get an improvement in form.

Consolidating in Senior 1 and picking up experience have to be the main target for continued progression, so we wish them all the best in their quest.

At this stage in the league the 2nd’s are 2nd which is excellent after being promoted into it last season.

The 3rd’s and the 4th XI are suffering from various matches being postponed for many reasons and need to get a consistent run of matches going to get their season under way.

Congratulations to the Veterans who had an excellent recent Cup win against Owls.