With the 1sts, 2nds and 3rds all recording wins in their respective leagues, Saturday was a highly successful day for the club.
While the 1sts had a close encounter with Lisburn, and winning with the last kick of the match, the 2nds and 3rds posted much more comfortable wins against Lisburn 3rds and Academy 4ths respectively.
I XV match report & pictures link below – CLICK HERE for II XV Photos v Lisburn III XV
Whether by an inch or a mile, these wins are the result of hard work and determination by both the players and their coaches, and are to be applauded in equal measure.
See the match reports in the respective team sections for more details.
Lisburn 22 – 23 Bangor
By Roger Corbett
Bangor leave it late at Lisburn
Match Photos – CLICK HERE
No-one would have expected just how close the outcome would be, with Bangor in the lead at half time, only to see Lisburn to edge ahead in the second half. It was not until the final kick of the game that Bangor regained the lead to win 22-23.
Playing with the wind in the first half, Bangor immediately put Lisburn under pressure within their twenty two. This season Bangor have looked sharp straight from the kick-off and this was shown again when, after only three minutes, they turned over a Lisburn scrum, forcing them to concede a penalty. Keith Rossan, making a welcome return to the side, converted the kick to take the lead 0-3. Bangor continued to pressurise Lisburn, winning another penalty, but this time Rossan was unable to repeat his earlier success. After a quarter of an hour, Richard Corbett stole a Lisburn lineout, tapping down to Ricky Armstrong who quickly fed the ball to the back line. It was taken at speed by Jason Morgan who ran through some desperate Lisburn tackling to score in the right hand corner. With the difficult conversion missed, the score was now 0-8.
Bangor were showing confidence now, but only a couple of minutes later, a loose pass was intercepted by Lisburn. The Lisburn break was halted quickly, but unfairly, as Bangor were guilty of not releasing in the tackle. The resulting penalty kick was unsuccessful. This let off stirred Bangor who, just two minutes later, produced the best counter attack move of the game. Having won the ball in their own half, great passing and support play between Jason Morgan, Richard Corbett and Jamie Foulkes exposed a gap in the Lisburn defence which Chris Morris took advantage of to score in the same spot as Morgan had earlier. Once more, the difficult conversion was missed which left the score at 0-13.
With just over twenty minutes played, there were many who thought Bangor would now go on and kill the game off before half time. Instead, they allowed Lisburn to come back at them, gaining confidence all the time. With more of the game now being played in the Bangor twenty two, Lisburn eventually won a scrum close to the Bangor line, towards the right hand touch line. The Bangor defence must have been thinking about the half time whistle, as nobody was covering the blind side, allowing the Lisburn winger to calmly receive the cleanly won ball and run over for the try. The touchline conversion was unsuccessful, so as the whistle for half time came the score was 5-13.
With the wind at their backs, Lisburn started the second half with renewed optimism and kept Bangor pinned down in their own twenty two. Lisburn were unlucky not to score when they had men over and a clear run to the line, but fumbled the ball – a lucky escape for Bangor. Lisburn were also unable to convert a number of penalty opportunities as Bangor were repeatedly forced into making mistakes in their efforts to defend. However, after ten minutes Bangor were awarded a penalty after Lisburn has strayed offside. With the adverse wind, it was decided to kick for touch. Corbett secured the resulting lineout, and Rossan’s pass to Morgan was perfectly timed, allowing him to run in unimpeded under the posts. This time the conversion was straightforward and with its success, the score extended Bangor’s lead to 5-20.
The final thirty minutes were strange – not because of Lisburn’s spirited fightback, but more in the way in which it was executed. After another ten minutes, following mistakes by both sides, Lisburn were awarded a kick in front of the posts. With the wind behind them, the kick would probably have had a good chance of success. However, having pondered this option and that of a scrum, it was decided to kick for touch. As the resulting attack brought no Lisburn points, this was surely a missed opportunity. Undeterred, just five minutes later Lisburn came back again, this time producing the incisive move necessary to score under the posts. In a bizarre twist, and following the cries from the coaching staff to take the kick quickly, the drop-kick conversion attempt was fluffed, making the score now 10-20.
Bangor now appeared ruffled and, only five minutes later, the Lisburn back line shrugged off some poor Bangor tackles to run in another try. This time the conversion was successful, bringing Lisburn now to within a score of Bangor at 17-20. However, the score had come at a cost, as the Lisburn centre suffered an injury and had to leave the field. With a man advantage, and with only six or seven minutes left to play, Bangor now sensed they could attack again, or at least close the game down for the win. Indeed, they started to press into the Lisburn twenty two again. Although conceding a scrum close to the Lisburn line, Bangor must have viewed this as an opportunity rather than a threat. Lisburn won the scrum and decided not to clear to touch, but run it back at Bangor. Good hands across the back line got the ball to the Lisburn winger who kicked over the Bangor defence, and won the resulting chase by scoring in the right hand corner. Although the conversion was missed, Lisburn were now in the lead by 22-20 and the local supporters were jubilant.
However, Bangor were determined to compete to the end and, by keeping possession and drawing in the Lisburn defence, they were rewarded with a penalty just to the right of the posts, but some distance out and against the wind. Having checked with the referee, there would be no time for a kick to touch and subsequent lineout. With the kick to goal as the only option, Keith Rossan managed to keep the ball low and drilled it over for the points, just as the referee blew for full time. With the final score now 22-23, it was obvious Lisburn’s dejection was matched by Bangor’s relief.
Lisburn may feel unlucky to lose this match, and will surely rue their missed kicking opportunities, but can take some comfort in the two bonus points they have picked up. Bangor on the other hand, may feel they missed out on a better win, both in terms of their inability to close out the match earlier, and in not managing to get the fourth try that would have earned them a valuable bonus point. In a league where there are likely to be many close games, these extra points may prove crucial as the season unfolds. However, to start the season with two away wins is not to be sniffed at, and Bangor can rightly feel pleased with their current position.
With no game scheduled for next Saturday, Bangor should have plenty of time address any areas of concern before hosting Ballyclare in the first round of the Junior Cup on the 1st October.
Bangor Scores: J Morgan (2T), C Morris (1T), K Rossan (2P, 1C)
