Having made the journey to Enniscorthy last weekend only to see the fixture postponed within 25 minutes of the kick-off, it was another long haul for the battle-weary players and stalwart supporters to County Wexford in this rescheduled semi-final encounter. With mixed weather conditions throughout the week and more rain forecast for the match day, the message Bangor received on Saturday morning was that the ground was ’100% playable’. However, upon arrival at the ground, and with the rain falling again, the improvement in pitch conditions from the previous week could best be described as marginal. From the Bangor perspective, these heavy conditions were far from ideal after having contested a bruising Junior Cup Final just a few days before. With players missing (Jason Morgan, Mike Ferguson and Desi Fusco) or carrying injuries (Phil Whyte and Darren Kelly), this would be a tough test of their fitness and resolve. By contrast, the ‘paddy field’ conditions were obviously something the home side was well used to and having enjoyed a two week rest since their last competitive game, their players were certainly in better shape.

As Enniscorthy got the game underway, playing with a strong wind at their backs, the first evidence of conditions underfoot became apparent when the ball didn’t bounce for the drop-kick – it just stuck in the mud. The next cause for concern for Bangor came very soon afterwards when the referee effectively set out his stall by penalising them for not rolling away quickly enough at a ruck. The kick from Bangor’s 10 metre line was struck well and carried by the wind to put Enniscorthy ahead by 3-0.

As the game started to settle, Bangor’s scrum came to the fore, pushing their counterparts back as they struggled to get any purchase in the soft ground. Although under some pressure by Enniscorthy, Bangor created a good break out of defence before Mark Widdowson kicked ahead and started to chase the ball as it found open space. However, he was held back and while the possible try opportunity was denied, Bangor had a kick for goal. Kicking from the wing and into the stiff breeze proved too difficult for Widdowson and the score remained the same. Just 5 minutes later, Bangor were again penalised for not rolling away quickly enough and a straightforward kick from the twenty two was converted to double Enniscorthy’s lead to 6-0.

Play continued to be scrappy, with Bangor struggling to get out of their own half. When a kick from Enniscorthy went dead, Bangor had a drop-out on their twenty two to try and clear their lines and ease the pressure. However, once again the ball stuck in the mud and the kick was scuffed. Having easily gathered the ball, Enniscorthy came right back and, exploiting a gap in the Bangor defence, simply ran through to score under the posts. With the added conversion, the home side were now ahead by 13-0.

Undeterred, Bangor fought back and soon brought play to within sight of the Enniscorthy goal line. Having dominated the scrum set piece, Bangor now started to move the driving maul forward until with a last surge it crossed the line for what looked like a good score by Curtis Stewart. The referee, who had been quick to blow for less obvious stoppages, looked unsure and opted for the 5 metre scrum. Somehow, Enniscorthy managed to rally their forwards and disrupted the scrum, and Bangor came away with nothing. Shortly afterwards, Enniscorthy were awarded another penalty, but the kick didn’t carry far enough and bounced off the crossbar and was then cleared by Bangor.

As the half drew to a close, it was Bangor who were on the attack, camped inside the Enniscorthy twenty two and making repeated thrusts for the line. The Enniscorthy pack had been repeatedly skirting on the edges of legality around the breakdowns, so when the whistle was blown Bangor assumed it was at last for an Enniscorthy infringement. However, when it was Darren Kelly who had been penalised for an apparent high tackle, the surprised expressions on the Bangor faces said it all. Enniscorthy cleared the danger and a vital opportunity for Bangor was again denied, just as the referee blew for half time.

As Bangor got the second half started, they immediately picked up where they had left off at the end of the opening period. With play once again inside the Enniscorthy twenty two, a Bangor mistake gave the home side scrum on their own 5 metre line. However, this time Bangor’s determined and controlled shove pushed their opposite numbers off the ball allowing Curtis Stewart to gather at the back of the Bangor scrum and touch down for a deserved try. Widdowson’s kick was pushed wide, but Bangor were on the scoreboard and now looking for more.

However, the next turning point in the game occurred almost immediately when an innocuous tackle by out half Ross McCloskey combined with a stumble by the Enniscorthy player was deemed dangerous by the referee resulting in a yellow card and 10 minutes in the bin. Bangor coped well during this period, and while they weren’t able to build attacks like before, they stifled the Enniscorthy attack. When McCloskey returned to the field, within minutes the already uneven situation descended into farce when, on the call of one of the touch judges, the referee showed him a second yellow card, and hence a red, after what was considered to be another dangerous tackle. The fact that McCloskey had simply executed an effective ‘chop tackle’ – where the player is grabbed around the legs – was missed by both officials and instead chose to concentrate on the abrupt effect the tackle had on the Enniscorthy player.

Now reduced to 14 men, Bangor’s job had become all the more difficult. Now chasing the game, Bangor had to take chances, but when they lost possession in the middle of the pitch Enniscorthy took full advantage of their extra man and found the overlap to score in the right hand corner, stretching their lead to 18-5.

With just 7 minutes remaining, Bangor tried to lift themselves and at least put a dent in the scoreline, but with the final play of the game, more scrappy play saw the ball come loose on the Enniscorthy side before they scrambled over for their third try, giving them a somewhat flattering final score of 23-5.

Bangor can be justly proud of their performance not only in this competition, but also in the way they approached the difficult run of fixtures that had led to this game. There is certainly no shame in their defeat by a side that has previously won this cup and has been hotly tipped to repeat their success this year. With McCloskey now expected to miss the Boxing Day league fixture against Clogher Valley, Bangor now have to regroup and put this result behind them, focussing entirely on the next challenge. Boxing Day at Upritchard Park is normally a ‘fun day’ with many coming to the club to catch up on old friends who have returned home for the Christmas holidays. This year, however, the hope is that the large home crowd will spur on their players and support them in their quest to remain at the top of the league table.

Bangor team: J Leary, P Whyte, O McIlmurray, C Burton, D Kelly, D Bradford, J Clegg (c), C Stewart, J Guthrie, R McCloskey, D Charles, M Weir, R Gamble, M Widdowson, A McCusker

Subs: D Caughey, G Burton, D Kennedy, P Dornan, A Jackson, J Harrison

Bangor scorers: C Stewart (1T)