Your Club Your Country – our Pitch For All
The IRFU (Ulster Branch) has teamed up with the Donnelly Motor Group to provide a platform for local rugby clubs to help themselves raise, potentially, over £350,000 for grassroots rugby.
The ‘Your Club Your Country’ initiative will enable the 44 registered rugby clubs in Northern Ireland, including Banbridge to boost club finances by selling tickets for a competition to name the greatest Ulster team of the professional era.
All monies raised by Banbridge RFC through the Your Club Your Country competition will go directly into the Pitch For All project.
Humphreys, Pienaar, Ward, Ferris… the competition will no doubt be discussed at length at rugby grounds around the Province, as fans try to match the selection of a media panel.
U15s triumph in tough trip to Derry
City of Derry 5 BANBRIDGE U15s 25
November 17, 2012
After the long trip north Banbridge U15s were keen to get started. The starting line-up saw the influential Adam Cromwell at No 8 with Adam McMahon taking over Cromwell’s flanker duties. William Wilson starting at full-back was to prove a big difference between the sides.
The first 10 minutes saw Bann soak up the Derry pressure. Cromwell, Matthew Blain and Samuel Mount were finding themselves very busy in the tight and the loose. From a Derry penalty the out-half decided to kick for touch. The ball fell kindly to Wilson who at pace took play deep into the Derry “22”. He off-loaded sublimely to the supporting John Buller who showed his skill and intelligence by timing a perfect pass for Lee Hamilton to score his first try for Banbridge.
The next try was almost a carbon copy of the first. Wilson again picked up loose ball and finding the Derry defence unable to handle him he raced into the “22” and linked with Conor Burns who crashed over the line to give Bann a 0-10 interval lead.
A few changes at half time saw John Buller go off injured to be replaced by William Cousins, with Lee Jackson slotting into his favoured No 8 position. Morgan Topping and Andrew Harvey also found themselves in the mix. Derry started the brighter by going through the phases and retaining possession and quickly found themselves in the Bann “22”. Quick recycled ball to their pacy centre saw him score under the posts.
Bann quickly re-established control with powerful running from Adam Ferris and Cromwell through the middle. The ball found Jackson who made 20 metres and his pass to the supporting Burns gave the centre his fourth league try of the season.
Ferris and Cromwell combined to create the next score with the latter taking advantage of Ferris’s great line off a Topping pass to end up under a pile of bodies with the ball grounded.
The scoring was rounded off when Charlie Jones called a blindside move and quickly released the ball to centre Callum Carlisle who out-stripped the defence to score in the corner.
This was a very satisfying result. To travel up to Derry and record a victory is never an easy task. Up front Blain, Ferris, Mount and Jackson were the pick of the pack. In the backs William Wilson was a joy to watch at full back. His pace and power in the open spaces are invaluable to the team.
Man of the match however was Adam Cromwell, who seemed to be everywhere on the pitch. First to rucks, first to support, his power and aggression saw ball being easily secured and on occasions turned over – an example to all.
Training continues Monday and Wednesday nights from 7-8.30 for all 3rd and 4th school years. A friendly match away to Lurgan has been organised for Wednesday evening, kick-off 7pm. The younger guys of the squad and fringe players will get plenty of game time.
U19s score seven on the road
Omagh 10 BANBRIDGE U19s 47
November 17, 2012
Banbridge hit the ground running against Omagh with some great pressure and all the territory, but it was the home team that opened the scoring after five minutes with a penalty.
Five minutes later Bann had more possession and were awarded a penalty 10 metres out which scrum-half Jason Gribbon tapped and popped to Stuart Walker who made excellent yards. The ball was then recycled quickly and eventually finished by Ben Cross and converted by Matthew McDonald.
The scored stayed the same until half-time, even with Banbridge having the majority of the ball.
But within two minutes of the restart McDonald passed to Peter Cromie who ran 20 metres, slipped the ball to wing Kyle Russell who made good ground before returning the ball back to let Cromie score under the posts. McDonald added the conversion.
Two minutes later McDonald received the ball 10 metres from his own line and ran the length of the pitch to score and knock over the conversion. And shortly after the restart Richard Graham picked up a loose ball and ran in from 30 metres. McDonald again added the extras.
Ten minutes later some loose defending allowed Omagh in for their only try of the game, which was converted.
A great defensive kick from McDonald put Bann on the Omagh five metre line. Eventually after some great forward play Ryan Dennison picked and drove over the line. Within minutes McDonald repeated his feat from earlier and ran in from close to his own line and added the extra points.
Just before the final whistle Cromie picked the ball up from the back of the scrum and ran in to score his side’s seventh of the day and McDonald slotted over his sixth conversion.
It was a great display from the whole team starting from Lee Geddis, Robert Poots and NealnCochrane in the front row to Julien Funes, Russell and Kenneth Wiltshire in the back three with Alan Thompson foraging hard up front and Glenn Rowan making some great breaks in the 47-10 win.
This followed a great midweek win against Banbridge Academy with McDonald scoring three tries and Cromie touching down in their 29-5 success.
Last quarter fightback keeps Bann top
BANBRIDGE 1STs 25 Cashel 12
November 17, 2012
Having conceded 12 first half points to an impressive Cashel side, Bann came good after the interval to secure their fifth win in as many outings and retain their place at the top of Division 2A of the All-Ireland League.
Playing with the bright autumn sun and light wind at their backs the Tipperary side were 0-6 up after just five minutes. The three points earned by Pat O’Connor’s first minute penalty were doubled when out-half Conor Quinlan slotted over a drop goal.
Two minutes later O’Connor was short with a penalty attempt from 42 metres but with play continuing to focus in the home “22” it took the earnest endeavours of Bann hooker Jonny Murphy at a ruck to win his side a relieving penalty.
At last Bann began to put a few phases together and for a brief spell test the visitors’ defensive qualities. But when they were penalised at a set scrum Cashel soon had them again on the back foot, with scrum-half Michael Hickey denied a try by what the referee deemed was a second movement.
The home defence had to be resolute to keep their line intact but a second O’Connor penalty, in the 24th minute, moved the score along. Murphy won another penalty when Cashel held on after a tackle. But the respite was brief and when Stephen Irvine infringed at a ruck in front of his posts on 35 minutes, he earned himself a yellow card and O’Connor added a further three points to his team’s tally.
Such was the visitors’ dominance up to that point that no-one would have believed that that would be the end of their scoring. Bann broke out again to get into good field position and achieve a degree of continuity. Cashel left winger Kevin Quinlan was next to see yellow and Ian Porter slotted over the kick to finish the half with Bann 3-12 in arrears.
Just as Cashel had controlled territory and possession in the first half, so it was Bann’s turn to dominate the second half exchanges. Three minutes in Porter split the uprights from 42 metres range after Cashel had been penalised for an illegal tackle.
The intensity of the forward battle was unrelenting and after a dust-up in the 52nd minute the referee reversed a penalty award but Porter was off-target with his attempt at goal.
The key moment in the game came just before the hour. Bann won a midfield ruck but there appeared to be no obvious danger when the ball was moved to Michael Cromie. But making a mockery of the No 3 on his back, Cromie surged through a gap with a turn of pace which confounded the Cashel defenders. As O’Connor closed in Cromie timed his pass to Andrew Morrison to perfection and the centre did the rest, with an attempted tap tackle failing to halt his sprint behind the posts. Porter added the conversion and Bann had their noses in front.
Two minutes later Porter’s delicate chip into space almost put his sibling John in for a try, and Cashel had to survive a series of set pieces in and around their five metre line.
Play was now confined solely to the Cashel half as Bann turned the screw. And from a five-metre lineout Irvine took a free catch and raced over the line for the second try, with Porter’s failed conversion attempt still leaving the visitors within a converted score of regaining the lead. But Bann continued in the ascendancy and Gregg Taylor almost grabbed his side’s third try, only to lose possession when tackled five metres out.
The set scrum battle had see-sawed over the afternoon, with Bann dominating on occasions but losing out on their own put-in in the final minutes. Cashel used the possession to mount an attack from just inside their own half but John Porter intercepted and sprinted the 45 metres to the posts for the clinching score, with brother Ian’s conversion a formality.
Cashel finished on the attack as they went all out for the score that would earn them the losing bonus point their efforts had undoubtedly warranted. Prop Jonny Weir was yellow-carded as Bann battled to keep their line intact but the visitors ran out of time before they could take advantage.
Bann team:- Gregg Taylor, John Porter, Andrew Morrison, Jonny Little, Ashley Finlay, Jonny Pollock, Ian Porter, Jonny Weir, Jonny Murphy, Michael Cromie, Stephen Irvine, Simon McKinstry (Capt), Ryan Patterson, Dale Carson, Jonny Graham. Reps:- James McCrum, David Weir, Mark Wilson, Craig Mulholland, Andrew Kirkwood.
