CHAMPIONSHIP 1
BANGOR 29
BALLYMONEY 31
By Roger Corbett
DESPITE a spirited fightback, Bangor were left to rue costly mistakes that allowed Ballymoney to snatch a 29-31 win at Upritchard Park.
Bangor kept the faith with the side that slumped in their earlier Junior Cup fixture, with the main changes being the return of team captain James Leary and Ally McIvor coming in at centre for the injured Cameron Gillanders.
In perfect playing conditions, Bangor kicked off into a slight breeze and looked eager from the outset. However, just five minutes into the game, Jacob Cavanagh picked up a knee injury that forced an early change in the backline with Mike Weir moving from number eight in the pack to his old stomping ground in the centre.
As Bangor readjusted to the enforced change, Ballymoney pressed forward and, following a spell of pressure in Bangor’s 22, Bangor’s Marty Withers was yellow carded for a defensive misdemeanour after just seven minutes.
From the resulting penalty, Ballymoney took full advantage of Bangor’s weakened forward defence and ran through to score an opportunist try close to the posts, which was duly converted and opened the scoring by 0-7.
Bangor came straight back, and within minutes Ally McIvor made the opening break before setting Conor Scollan clear on the left wing. The scrambled defence halted Scollan’s run, but conceded a penalty in the process, which was kicked to touch.
Already this season Bangor’s lineouts have looked so much more secure than before, and
once again they used this platform to create the attacking drive that was finished by Blair Morgan who scored just to the right of the Ballymoney posts. Unfortunately what looked like a simple conversion for Shaun Fair bounced back off the upright, but at least Bangor were right back in the game at 5-7 after 12 minutes of play.
Bangor now looked more settled and enjoyed lengthy spells of possession. However a defensive lapse after 31 minutes allowed Ballymoney to drift through for a relatively soft try under the posts which was easily converted to extend their lead.
Bangor were then lucky not to go further behind in the last minute of the first half when they
conceded a penalty close to their 22, but the kick slid past the posts and the half time score remained at 5-14.
Bangor started the second half with real purpose and were quickly into their opponents’ 22. When just a few metres from the Ballymoney goal line, a loose pass was intercepted and the visitors immediately counter-attacked. Good interplay by Ballymoney down the left hand touchline caught the Bangor defence off-guard and moments later they crossed the line for their third try which, although unconverted, had moved them further ahead by 5-19 after just two minutes of the restart.
Bangor continued to press forward and very soon were awarded a penalty on the half way line. A poor kick failed to find touch and was easily fielded by Ballymoney who spun the ball quickly across their backs and once again ran around the surprised Bangor defence for their bonus point try.
Within a few minutes of the restart, Bangor were finally rewarded for their efforts when Conor Scollan produced a typically darting run to score on the left hand side. Although the conversion was missed, Bangor had narrowed the gap to 10-24.
However, another lapse in defensive concentration after 16 minutes allowed Ballymoney to slip through some poor tackling and run through for another try, this time converted.
Now 10-31 down and approaching the last quarter of the game, Bangor’s earlier efforts to get back on terms looked to be in vain. However, maybe the memory of last week’s collapse was still fresh in the players’ minds as they began a remarkable fightback.
From close to their own goal line, Bangor opted not to clear their lines with a kick to touch, but instead Danny Young broke clear and set off towards half way. A well-timed pass set Patrick Dobie clear as he headed towards the right hand corner. Although he was tackled inches from the goal line, Dobie managed to pop the ball up for Jack Andreassen to collect and dive over for the try.
With the score now 15-31, Ballymoney tried to reassert themselves, but instead it was Bangor who kept their momentum going and just four minutes later Young was on the end of a good backline move to run through for Bangor’s bonus point try, while also adding the conversion to bring the score to 22-31.
Not to be outdone by the backs, Bangor’s forwards produced the next scoring opportunity eight minutes later when Dobie finished off a hard-worked series of drives for their fifth try. Young added another conversion, bringing the score now to 29-31, with just seven minutes left to play.
Ballymoney looked worried as Bangor continued to push for the winning score. In the
final play of the game, Bangor looked to have created another opportunity down the right hand wing, and were within striking distance of the Ballymoney goal line, but desperate defending proved just enough to bundle the ball into touch and retain the victory by the smallest of margins.
Although picking up two bonus points from a game that had earlier looked like a lost cause, Bangor will be left wondering what might have been if they had managed to not only reduce their mistakes but also convert their scoring chances.
However, the nature of their comeback and their determination in doing so is commendable and should lift their confidence ahead of next week’s home fixture against old AIL rivals City of Derry.
Congratulations also to Oliver Cain who picked up the Copeland Man of the Match award on his impressive debut at wing forward.
- On Friday evening, Bangor 2nds hosted CIYMS 2nds in a friendly, which saw the home side come out on top by 31-0. Although this game could be viewed as a training exercise for both sides, it was an opportunity for several of the young Bangor players to put their hand up for 1st XV duty.
With the injury list already growing at an alarming rate, and early results not going as hoped, opportunities for some of these players may come around sooner rather than later.
