Although the game format was broken down into 3 periods of 40, 20 and 20 minutes, and with rolling subs drawn from a 25 player pool, this was very much a competitive encounter, with both silverware and pride at stake. Coming off the back of an excellent performance at Dungannon last weekend, Bangor were hoping to build on that success. From Bangor’s kick-off down the slope, it was clear that this was their intention as play moved steadily through Donaghadee territory. It took just 5 minutes for Bangor’s backline to whip the ball across from right to left, giving Chris Burns on the wing to run in the first try of the game. Ross McCloskey’s touchline conversion was wide.

Donaghadee’s response was immediate. Some clever kicking and determined follow-up play earned them a penalty in front of Bangor’s posts after the visitors strayed offside. The kick was converted, bringing the score to 3-5 with just 7 minutes played.
From the restart, Bangor played with more patience, consistently building good attacking platforms and keeping play firmly within their opponents half. Most notably, their forwards totally dominated the scrums, repeatedly forcing Donaghadee to concede penalties as they were disrupted and pushed back. From one such penalty, Bangor kicked for touch close to the Donaghadee goal line. From the lineout, the ball was recycled a number of times before Andrew Jackson found just enough room to drive over for a try on the left hand side. McCloskey’s kick this time was successful, making the score 3-12.

Although having conceded another try, it should be noted that Donaghadee defended stoutly, denying Bangor the score on several prior attacks. However, such was the relentless intensity of Bangor’s attacks, Donaghadee’s valiant goal line defending eventually led to an unfortunate knock to second row forward Sam Ingham who was concussed and could take no further part in proceedings. Everybody wishes him a good recovery with no lasting damage. Following the lengthy stoppage, Bangor resumed with a 5 metre scrum. Ingham’s loss was obvious as the Donaghadee scrum could not cope with the Bangor shove, conceding penalties in the process. Repeated infringements on the 5 metre line eventually left the referee with no option but to award a penalty try which, with the added conversion extended Bangor’s lead to 3-19.

Donaghadee were now on the ropes, having to spend most of their time defending inside their own twenty two. The few occasions when their backs made a break were nullified by a well-organised and competent Bangor defence. As the first period of play drew to a close, Bangor were in familiar territory, laying siege to the Donaghadee line. Although initially denied by determined Donaghadee defending, David Bradford eventually dived over to the left of the posts, with McCloskey once again adding the extras. With this score, the first 40 minutes play were brought to close with Bangor well ahead at 3-26.

Donaghadee restarted the game, now with the advantage of playing down the slope. This, however, did little to halt Bangor’s progress. With 10 minutes of this period gone, scrum half Jason Guthrie collected the ball just inside his own half. His ‘show and go’ provided just enough space for him to break through the first line of Donaghadee players. With a burst of speed, and lightness of feet, he then ran around the remaining players to score a memorable try under the posts. Just 2 minutes later, and obviously buoyed by his earlier break, Guthrie struck again but this time passed right to Davy Charles on the wing who outran the Donaghadee defence to score, again under the posts. These two scores effectively closed out the game, with the score now 3-40.
As the end of second period approached, Bangor were pushing forward again, this time getting the ball to Mark Widdowson on the left wing. A good run and brave dive saw him just manage to force his way over for the try right in the corner, having been tackled hard as he went over. The difficult touchline kick was missed, stretching Bangor’s lead to 3-45, and marking the end of the second period.

With the outcome no longer in doubt, the third and final session of play saw both sides using the remainder of their subs, and experimenting further with the player combinations. This marked Donaghadee’s best period, with Bangor now finding themselves camped for long spells in their own half. However, Bangor remained resolute in protecting their line, and a combination of solid defending and confident counter-attacking saw them come through these attacks unscathed. In the end, this period ended with no further scores being added, with Bangor finished as the deserved winners and retainers of the Rodney Gray Cup.

This was a worthwhile work-out for both sides, and was played in good spirits. As the respective leagues get underway next week, it will be interesting to see if the groundwork put in over the summer months is reflected in the performances and results in the heat of serious competition. For Bangor’s part, QL1 starts with an away game against Ballyclare next Saturday.