Ballynahinch 17-6 Cork Con

Division Two side Ballynahinch pulled off a memorable win over favourites Cork Constitution in the final of the AIB Cup at Dubarry Park on Sunday.

Michael Graham got over for the Ulster club's first try in the 37th minute but two Jeremy Manning penalties kept Cork in touch at 7-6 at the interval.

Kiwi fly-half Ryan Bambry missed two penalties but finally found his range to extend the lead to four points.

Replacement John Gunson powered over for a late try to seal the win.

It is the first time the cup has gone outside of Munster following the wins of Cork Con, Shannon and Garryowen.

And the major silverware will be a huge lift to the County Down club as they push for promotion to the top flight of the All-Ireland League.

Ballynahinch skipper Stuart Lamb was named man of the match.

"We gave our all and I could not have asked any more of the boys," he said.

"This has been done the hard way, beating Shannon, Garryowen, Galwegians and now Cork Con."

Derek Suffern, coach of the winning team, praised the supporters who travelled to the Athlone venue.

"We have had a couple of difficult away matches on the way to the final but today is was like playing at home with the amount of support we had," he said.

"We like to play rugby and keep the ball and the plan was to starve Cork of possession early on.

"I cannot explain how proud I am. The players were magnificent, they really play for each other."

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