Letterkenny got proceedings underway, with Bangor hoping to put recent poor performances behind them. From the outset, Bangor looked sharp and having secured the ball from the kick-off, moved it confidently between themselves. As if to size up their opposition, Bangor decided to run at Letterkenny and within the opening few minutes were 5 points up following a Chris Morris try in the left hand corner.

The game then started to swing both to and from each side, with neither being able to score. It was not until 23 minutes into the game that Letterkenny produced a strong break from their own half. Having slipped a couple of weak Bangor tackles, the signs looked ominous. Bangor managed to scramble back to stop the advance and, in their anxiety to get the ball back, Letterkenny were penalised for a ruck infringement and the immediate danger was averted.

Just 5 minutes later, Bangor gave chase to a good positional kick – a feature that had been noticeably missing in recent games – forcing a penalty in front of the Letterkenny posts. Although the quick tap was not to the liking of the referee, the resulting Bangor scrum produced a quick ball which was collected by Jason Morgan who charged through the Letterkenny defence to score to the right of the posts. The kick was missed, but Bangor were now 10-0 ahead.

From the restart, Bangor gathered well and started back into the Letterkenny half. Although the defence was good, the quick passing across the Bangor backs was better, with the ball eventually getting to Chris Morgan who touched down close to the right hand post. This conversion was good, making the score 17-0.

Bangor’s tails were now up, and confidence was high. With 35 minutes gone, the forwards showed their prowess by taking a Letterkenny scrum against the head. Curtis Stewart at number 8 picked up and, despite the close attention of about 4 defenders, powered over for the bonus point try.

By now the Letterkenny players must have been hoping for the half time whistle, to allow them to take stock and regroup. However, in practically the last play of the half, more good passing between the backs allowed James McMullan to take a well-timed pass from Chris Morgan and give him a free run to the line. The conversion attempt was notable for bouncing off both uprights before falling short, however the half time score was now 27-0.

If Letterkenny were hoping for a change in fortune in the second half, within 5 minutes this was dashed by an excellent solo try by Jason Morgan, extending Bangor’s lead to 32-0. This was quickly followed by a setback when Stewart had to retire with a hamstring injury. This didn’t, however, seem to dampen Bangor’s fire for more scores, and sure enough, within 5 minutes the ball was passed wide once more to Chris Morgan who scored in the left hand corner.

The game slowed slightly at this stage, but on the 20 minute mark, some neat footwork by Keith Rossan, unusually playing on the wing today, created the space to break the Letterkenny line and pass to Richard Corbett who had an easy run to the line.

The already impressive performance was bringing out the best in the Bangor players. Having been awarded a penalty in the Letterkenny twenty two, Andrew Jackson took a quick tap and started off for the line. A combination of determination and strength got him over the line for well-received try. Jason Morgan added the extras, bringing the score to 49-0.

To Letterkenny’s credit, they stuck to their task and were determined to get something for their efforts. In the final 10 minutes, they kept the ball in their forwards and were camped on Bangor’s line. For almost 5 minutes, they produced wave after wave of attack. Bangor, however, were equally determined to keep a clean sheet and eventually forced Letterkenny to spill the ball. Then, to the visitors’ dismay, the ball was passed to Chris Morgan who still had the pace in his legs to run the length of the pitch along the touchline to score his third try in the left hand corner. Although the conversion was missed, this brought the game to a full time score of 54-0.

This was one of those games where everything seemed to click for Bangor. Even though they were reduced to 14 men through injury at the start of the second half, they combined well in attack, and dug in resolutely in defence. To Letterkenny’s credit, they kept coming back at Bangor, but were just unable to make the final break count. Andrew Jackson was awarded the Reeds Rains Man of the Match for his sterling work throughout the game, capped off with his well taken try. Next week’s game is likely to be a much more difficult affair against league title contenders Ballyclare. Bangor will also be without a number of key forwards. However, if the team as a whole can play as they did on this occasion, it should be an entertaining and competitive spectacle.

Bangor team: P Nicol, A Jackson, S Irvine, F Black, R Corbett, R McCausland, M Coey, C Stewart, R Armstrong, J Morgan, K Rossan, M Aspley, C Morris, J McMullan, C Morgan

Bangor scores: C Morgan (3T), J Morgan (2T, 1C), C Morris (1T), C Stewart (1T), J McMullan (1T), R Corbett (1T), A Jackson (1T), K Rossan (1C)