From the kick-off, Bangor’s intentions were clear, keeping Grosvenor camped in their own twenty two for most of the first half. There was perhaps a touch of over anxiety on the part of the Bangor players when they got within striking distance of the goal line. However, it should also be said that the Grosvenor defence was proving hard to get through.

The first score came after 25 minutes, when the proven move of line-out, maul and drive saw Nick Hatton carry over towards the left hand touchline. The conversion was missed making the score 0-5, and this is how it remained until the dying moments of the half. It was obvious Grosvenor were hoping to turn around with this scoreline, but Bangor had other ideas. From a well controlled scrum, the ball came to Dougie Gordon who gave a well-timed pass to Jason Morgan. Morgan looked to have the momentum to carry him over but was caught just short of the line. However, Davy Charles was on hand to receive the ball that Morgan managed to pop up to him, and he crashed over just below the posts. Chris Morgan added the extras, and the score was now a more comfortable 0-12.

Following the quickly taken restart, and with practically no time left on the clock, Bangor then conceded a penalty in front of their posts, but some way out. The kick was missed, bringing the half to a close.

One wonders how the game might have progressed had that kick gone over. However, to compound Grosvenor’s disappointment, Bangor produced another try within 1 minute of the start of the second half. Having secured the ball from the kick-off, it came to Matt Leebody who set off on a great run down the left side. Great cover tackling saved what looked like a certain try, but Bangor simply recycled the ball to Darren Lyttle (allegedly playing his final game before settling into retirement) who rounded off the move with a well-taken and popular try. Chris Morgan’s conversion was successful, stretching Bangor’s lead to 0-19.

Bangor were now looking more relaxed and confident on the ball. With 13 minutes gone, Dougie Gordon made a great break through the centre before passing to Stephen Addy. Once again the Grosvenor defence managed to halt the attack, but not before the ball came to Freddie Black. He pushed for the line and was tackled, but wasn’t held. He managed to scramble to his feet and stretched over the line to score.

On the 20 minute mark, Curtis Stewart set off on a charge, riding the tackles as he went. Having done the hard work, he passed to Jason Morgan who made for the Grosvenor line. It looked like Morgan was going to be caught, so he looked to pass outside to Davy Charles who was in the clear. Bizarrely, the pass was blocked by a Grosvenor defender, but bounced back into the path of Morgan as he carried on running. He gratefully accepted this unexpected good fortune and ran in unhindered to score. His conversion attempt was wide of the mark, but Bangor were now 0-29 ahead and cruising.

Unlike last Saturday when Bangor were guilty of sitting back and allowing their opponents to come back at them, they were now relentless in their attack. Just 6 minutes later, they got another score – this time by Andrew Jackson in the left hand corner. Then, a further 4 minutes later, Freddie Black produced another twisting and turning move towards the line before touching down for his second try. With the successful conversion bringing the score to 0-41, and with 10 minutes of playing time remaining, the captains agreed to call it a day, and the celebrations could start.

Congratulations to the coaching staff and squad of players who have stuck to the task, and successfully managed the pressure of having to come from a long distance behind and pip their rivals at the end. Hopefully, both Ballyclare and Bangor will now serve up a display on Saturday worthy of their standings in both league and cup competitions.

Bangor team: J Harrison, A Jackson, P Dornan, F Black, D Lyttle, N Hatton, J Clegg, C Stewart, R Armstrong (c), D Gordon, D Charles, J Morgan, M Leebody, S Addy, C Morgan

Bangor scores: N Hatton (1T), D Charles (1T), F Black (2T), A Jackson (1T), D Lyttle (1T), J Morgan (1T, 1C), C Morgan (2C)