With close rivals Instonians missing out on a league fixture due to their appearance in the All Ireland Junior Cup final, Bangor’s game at Dromore was a good opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of the table and keep the pressure on those teams having to play catch-up. However, memories are still fresh about the meeting between these two teams at Barban Hill last season, where not only did Bangor lose, but they also suffered from some incredible refereeing decisions. Although Bangor had comprehensively beaten Dromore at their first meeting this season, they knew that this would be an altogether different occasion, especially as Dromore had given Instonians a particularly hard game the week before.

As Dromore kicked off, it was clear that the conditions both overhead and underfoot would play a big part in the game. Although the rain had subsided, the wind was blowing directly down the pitch and the playing surface was very soft. Playing with the wind at their backs in the first half, Bangor knew that they would have to make full use of this advantage and from the outset looked as if this would be the case. Early set pieces saw Bangor on top, and solid work by the forwards brought them close to the Dromore line on a number of occasions. However, a combination of last minute miss-handling and determined defending denied Bangor the tries they were anxious to record. The wind also worked against them on occasions where long positional kicks were carried over the dead ball line, bringing play right back to where the kick had been taken from.

Having worked hard over the past months to successfully reduce their penalty count, it was something of a surprise to find themselves repeatedly on the receiving end of the referee’s whistle, and this seemed to add to the players’ frustration. By contrast, Dromore grew in confidence as the half progressed, no doubt boosted by Bangor’s inability to score. Having made slow but sure progress into Bangor’s half, they won another penalty deep inside Bangor’s twenty two. The close range kick was successfully converted, putting the home side ahead by 3-0 after 25 minutes of play.

With the prospect of turning around at half time with an unexpected 3 point lead, Dromore looked to play a game of containment, slowing things down and denying Bangor any meaningful attacking opportunities. This came to a head after 35 minutes when the Dromore hooker appeared to be delaying the put in at their lineout. As the Bangor players urged their opponents to throw the ball in, the referee took objection to this and showed the yellow card to Davy Charles. This upset was further compounded by injuries to both Orran McIlmurry and Andrew Jackson, resulting in major changes to the pack.

As the half drew to a close, Bangor continued to lay siege to the Dromore line, spurning a number of kickable penalties in favour of try scoring opportunities. However, all credit to the Dromore players as they dug in and held their line. As the referee blew for half time, the cheer from the home side sounded as if they had won the game.

As the second half got underway, the rain returned. At first this was no more than a heavy drizzle, but it quickly developed into a deluge which, combined with storm force winds, prompted the referee to take the players off the pitch until these particularly treacherous conditions passed over. As it turned out, this took no more than a couple of minutes. The pitch, however, was now a quagmire and running rugby was virtually impossible. However, it was Bangor who were now playing better and, although regularly pinged back by some excellent kicking from the Dromore fullback, they were starting to find the cohesion that was so badly lacking in the first half.

As the game swung to and fro, so the clock continued to count down with the score still showing Dromore 3-0 ahead. However, the heavy pitch seemed to be telling on the Dromore forwards as Bangor started to push forward through several good phases of play, bringing the game right back into Dromore’s twenty two. It was now the home side that was starting to concede penalties and, although being well within kicking distance, Bangor kept up the pressure from repeated tap-and-go moves. Perseverance eventually paid off when, after 33 minutes, the Bangor rolling maul managed to find enough purchase on the muddy surface to rumble over for a try by Jamie Clegg. Neil Cuthbertson added the conversion and Bangor were now in front for the first time in the game.

Sensible game management was now called for and, despite Dromore’s good positional kicking putting play back into Bangor’s territory, Bangor managed to hold on and win by the narrow margin of 3-7. Every player is to be applauded for managing to put in such a performance given the dreadful conditions. For Bangor’s part, they will feel relieved to have come through with the win that keeps their title hopes alive. However, this has come at a cost with potential injury issues for McIlmurry and Jackson, putting renewed pressure on Bangor’s front row.

Next weekend sees a return to cup competition when Bangor host local rivals Donaghadee in the quarter final of the Powerade Towns Cup. With the 3rds already having beaten the Dee in the quarter final of their McCambley Cup competition, the hope is that the 1sts can join them in the club’s quest for more silverware. Plan to record the 6 Nations games and come to Upritchard Park to support our hard-working players in this important cup fixture.

Bangor team: O McIlmurry, A Jackson, P Whyte, M Ferguson, C Burton, J Clegg (c), J McMullan, D Bradford, J Guthrie, J Morgan, R Gamble, M Weir, R McCloskey, D Charles, A McCusker

Subs: M Widdowson, N Cuthbertson

Bangor scorers: J Clegg (1T), N Cuthbertson (1C)