Massive brawl in Derry club final turns ugly, spills into stands

An unsavoury scene during a hotly contested reserve final.

Ballinderry Shamrocks claimed the senior reserve final on Saturday evening but there was a sour taste left in many a mouth after an almighty shemozzle broke out at full time. The Shamrocks were taking on Kilrea in the decider and were looking good for their lead when some forceful tackling sparked a brawl on the pitch [see video below]. Punches were thrown as the scrap escalated into a full-on melee, with subs and backroom teams from both sides getting involved in a forlorn effort to restore peace. The situation at the neutral ground of Ballinascreen got so bad that it spilled over towards the sidelines and into the stands. Many fans were left watching on as players ran from the on-field fracas to try calm the situation in the front steps of the terraced main stand. Once the situation had been calmed, both sets of players took to the field to resume the match. Ballinderry ended up comfortable winners, taking the title home after a 3-17 to 0-12 victory. https://twitter.com/BallinderryGAC/status/916717170704429057 Unfortunate scenes as passion and defence of teammates got the better of many men.