Great performance at Carrick 7’s
Despite some players having played in the Harden Cup semi final yesterday, Bangor put in a great performance only to lose to CIYMS in the final.
Having won 3 from 3 in the group stage, Bangor went on to beat PSNI in the semis. However, CIYMS were just that little bit better in the final and Bangor had to be content with the runners up spot.
Congratulations to Ricky and his merry men, and just reward for all the long hours of training and pre-prepared tactics they spent in the build up to this competition!
Ballynahinch 3rds 24 vs 10 Bangor 2nds
2nds miss out in Harden Cup Final
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In difficult playing conditions, Bangor faced up to the Junior 1 champions in the final of the Harden Cup. Ballynahinch got off to a flying start, but although Bangor fought back well, they were unable to make up the deficit, finally losing by 24-10.
The drama that has followed Bangor through their short journey in the Harden Cup continued through the week. The Branch had difficulties in securing a venue for the game and eventually had to resort to the flick of a coin to determine home advantage. If Bangor’s task wasn’t hard enough already, it was made all the more difficult when Ballynahinch won the toss.
As the players arrived at Hinch’s ground, the already ‘un-level’ playing pitch took on another meaning. With standing water in several places, and very heavy conditions generally, this was not going to be an easy playing surface, and certainly not what would have been hoped for. Thankfully, for both the players and spectators, the earlier heavy rain managed to hold off for the actual game.
Playing with the wind blowing diagonally across the pitch, Bangor got things underway. The playing conditions were awful, with the players finding it hard to get grip in the sodden ground. It seemed inevitable that injuries would ensue, and so it was within 3 minutes that the Hinch full-back had to be subbed off. With just 5 minutes gone, and Bangor struggling to adapt to the conditions, the slick Hinch back-line handing provided a try in the left hand corner.
Dougie Gordon was having difficulty with the restart drop kicks, failing to make the requisite distance on each occasion so far. From the resulting scrum, Hinch kicked ahead, collected the ball, and then passed inside for a simple score under the posts. With the conversion, this put the home side ahead by 12-0.
Bangor started to gather themselves and appeared to be getting back on terms. But after a further 15 minutes, the quick hands in the Hinch backs got the ball wide for their winger to run round the back pedalling Bangor defence to score under the posts. The kick was added, making the score 19-0.
If the travelling supporters were worried that this was going to be a rout, the coaching staff weren’t of the same opinion and urged their players on. Just 5 minutes later, with Bangor well inside Hinch territory, the ball was cleared to touch. The Bangor lineout was taken quickly and, with the Hinch forwards out of position, the ball came to Chris Schofield who started off on a charge. The retreating Hinch players tried to stop him, but with about 5 metres to go, he made a dive for the line and skidded over for a try, leaving a wake similar to that of the Stena HSS. Although Neil Cuthbertson’s kick drifted wide of the posts, Bangor had points on the board and the fight-back had started.
Playing with belief counts for a lot, and this was obvious as Bangor were now taking the game to Hinch and applying most of the pressure. As the penalty count rose, the referee eventually had no option but to yellow card one of the Hinch front row. With the Hinch side down to 14 men, and having to re-organise their pack, Bangor took their opportunity 3 minutes later when, after a good build-up involving Schofield and Gordon, a long pass to Dave Miller on the right wing gave him the chance to outrun the Hinch defence and score in the corner. Once again, the difficult kick was unsuccessful, but the score had narrowed to 19-10, and remained this way until half time.
Within 5 minutes of the restart, Bangor won a penalty just to the left of the Hinch posts. Kicking against the wind proved too difficult, but Bangor were now exerting good pressure. The Hinch players, however, made good use of the wind advantage, clearing their lines on several occasions. Good attacking runs by Schofield, Gordon and Jackson got Bangor deep into the Hinch twenty two, but were unable to convert these into points.
It was another 20 minutes before the next breakthrough. With Bangor chasing the game, and throwing everything into attack, a fortuitous interception by Hinch gave them a free run down the right wing to score, and extend their lead to 24-10. Coming somewhat against the run of play, this was a cruel blow to Bangor. However, they continued to take the game to Hinch, forcing the home side to concede repeated penalties. Despite Bangor’s best efforts, the Hinch defence held firm, eventually holding out to the final whistle.
In the end, what could have been a whitewash turned out to be a competitive and entertaining game, with both sides doing justice to the occasion. For Bangor’s part, they can feel justly proud of their achievements and, while possibly disappointed with the outcome today, they can look forward with confidence to the challenges in Junior League 2 next season.
Bangor scores: C Schofield (1T), D Miller (1T)
