Mark Best (born 1 April 1994) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Rugby union player He originally played for

Belfast Harlequins Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey, and squash. The club is associated on and off the fi ...

in Division 2B in the All Ireland League. Best is a graduate of the Ulster Rugby Academy system and started the 2016/17 season on a development contract with the

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

senior squad. Best has been part of the Ulster set-up from under 18 level, at which age group he also played for Ireland. He was a regular feature in the Irish province's

British and Irish Cup The British and Irish Cup was an annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs and the reserves or developing teams from professional clubs from Great Britain and Ireland. It took place for the first time in the 2009 ...

campaigns over two seasons and captaining Ulster 'A'. He played domestic rugby for

Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...

in the All-Ireland League when not used by Ulster. On 3 May 2017, Best left Ireland to join Channel Island based

Jersey Reds Jersey Reds is a rugby club based in Jersey, Channel Islands that currently competes at the RFU Championship, which is the second tier of English professional rugby. Until season 2022/23, the professional arm of Jersey Reds was part of Jers ...

in the English

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men’s English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when ...

from the 2017–18 season. He made his first team debut for Jersey against

Doncaster Knights Doncaster Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club representing the town of Doncaster, England. The first XV are known as the "Doncaster Knights", and play in the RFU Championship. Being the most promoted side in English history has led to ...

in the Championship opener in September 2017. On 2 June 2020, He left Jersey to join Championship rivals Doncaster Knights from the 2020–21 season. He retired from professional rugby at the end of the 2022-23 season and returned to Northern Ireland, working as a building surveyor and playing and coaching at an amateur level with

Ballynahinch Ballynahinch may refer to: Northern Ireland * Ballynahinch, County Armagh, a townland *Ballynahinch, County Down, a town Republic of Ireland *Ballynahinch (barony), in County Galway *Ballynahinch, County Galway, a townland in County Galway * Bally ...

.Jonathan Bradley
"English rugby’s financial woes means good Irish players will miss out on pro chances: Mark Best"
''Belfast Telegraph'', 29 September 2023

References

External links

DRFC ProfileUltimate Rugby Profile
1994 births Living people Irish rugby union players Rugby union centres Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union players from Belfast Ulster Rugby players Jersey Reds players Doncaster Knights players Ballymena R.F.C. players Ballynahinch RFC players {{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub