By Johnny McCreary
SEVEN of Banbridge Rugby Club’s U17s players have been selected to take part in trials for Ulster’s Rugby U17s squad.
The players are Chris Knox (loose head prop), Ryan Dennison (openside flanker), Johnny McCreery (tight head prop), Kyle McConnell (second row), Peter Cromie (number eight), Andrew Sleator (blindside flanker) and Matthew McDonald (centre).
“We firstly got selected at the end of last season to play for a County Down development squad which took place every Sunday for two hours at Malone RFC in Belfast near Ravenhill for nine weeks,” said Johnny McCreery.
At the start there were around fifty players from all over County Down including Dromore and Ballynahinch and gradually the coaches cut the fifty players down to a squad of twenty-two.
“When we found out that all the players from Banbridge were on the starting line-up, we played a match against a different development squad who were also trying to make the Ulster team at the Mid-Ulster sports arena, in Cookstown with the Ulster scouts watching throughout this match.
“It was a good representation for Banbridge considering that six of the starting eight forwards were from the club.
“After the match the Ulster coaches sat us all in a circle on the pitch and we listened to what they had to say.
“Basically what they told us was that obviously not everyone would be selected to play for the Ulster team and that not to be annoyed if you didn’t make it onto the team.
“I received a letter a few weeks later from the Ulster Branch. The letter said that I had been successful in my match for the development team and that I had been selected to take part in trials for the Ulster U17 squad.
“It also said that the trials would take place for eight weeks throughout July and August and that they would be taking place in the Mid-Ulster sports arena in Cookstown.
Also two young players from Banbridge Rugby Club who were in the Club’s U17s squad got selected to play for Ulster U18s.
The two players are Adam Doherty (fly half) and Jake Fisher (scrum half).
It is a very good achievement for Adam considering he has yet another year at U17 level for Banbridge and is getting into the Ulster team with a year to spare.
