Cooke maintained its position as leading the promotion race for AIL qualification with a solid display against bottom placed Bangor.
The game started at a hectic pace with the Cooke pack taking the ball deep into Bangor territory. A well executed series of ‘pick and drives’ was rewarded after 8 minutes with lively flanker Cochrane taking the ball over the Bangor line. Cooke out-half Karnezos completed matters with an easy conversion.
Bangor’s powerful pack were not getting things their own way with Cooke loose forwards Dawson, Cochrane and McVicker disrupting throughout. In the set pieces the lighter Cooke pack put serious pressure on their opponents.
Much of the play during the first half was a forwards battle with Bangor keen to utilise the strength of their pack. No further points were scored until close to half time when Cooke released the ball out wide. Having swapped his usual number 9 shirt for a place on the wing, Cooke number 11 Bennett displayed no shortage of pace when he took the ball outside his opposite winger to score close to the corner. Karnezos was again on target with the conversion.
The final scoring opportunity of the half went to Bangor number 10 Andrews who saw his penalty attempt from the 10m line drift wide of the Cooke posts.
Half time Bangor 0 : Cooke 14
Although he remained on the pitch, an injury to Bangor captain McCausland shortly into the second half seemed to disrupt Bangor’s pattern of play. In what mirrored the first try, the Cooke forwards recycled the ball into the Bangor 22. The ball was then popped to flanker Cochrane who took the pass at full pace and crashed over for his second try of the afternoon. Karnezos’ conversion from in front of the posts was a formality.
Cooke’s fourth and bonus point try came shortly afterwards when Karnezos kicked the ball deep into the Bangor 22. The ball was recovered by the Cooke pack and released to centre Laing who brushed aside two tackles to cross the line. Karnezos went wide with the conversion. Some five minutes later Laing’s centre partner Doherty spotted a gap and raced over from 30 meters out for Karnezos to convert.
The Cooke out-half kept Bangor pinned in their own territory for the remainder of the game, using the strong breeze to launch a series of punishing kicks. With 15 minutes left Cooke added considerable bulk to their pack when veteran prop Brown replaced mobile loose-head O’Hanlon. Despite some lively exchanges no further points were registered leaving the final score at Bangor 0 : Cooke 33
