Playing conditions were calm but cold, which was probably the exact opposite of what both teams were feeling in the build-up to this game. With Cooke mounting a late surge in the league, and already in the McCrea Cup final, they were looking to keep up their head of steam and secure important league points to take them towards the all-important top four position. For Bangor’s part, nothing but a win and, if they were to keep real pressure on Instonians, a bonus point win were required.

Bangor kicked off and immediately put pressure on the visitors, keeping play within the Cooke half and dictating most of the play. Despite coming close through Ross McCloskey and Oran McIlmurray, Bangor were denied by some determined defending. With no score by the end of the first quarter, Bangor brought on Curtis Stewart to bolster the Bangor drive, and within minutes this move paid off when, after a number of penalty scrums, he picked up and drove over for the opening score. Neil Cuthbertson’s good kicking form continued and Bangor were 7-0 ahead.

Bangor’s forwards now had the advantage as they disrupted the Cooke line-out and scrum. Having conceded several penalties, Cooke were fortunate not to receive a yellow card but as they struggled to contain the repeated waves of attack, it was that man Stewart who proved unstoppable as he powered over for his second try. Cuthbertson added the extras bringing the score to 14-0 after 24 minutes.

Now playing with real purpose, Bangor continued to enjoy most of the possession, with Cooke struggling to get out of their own half. As Bangor pushed forward, so the Cooke penalty count went up. Patient work by the forwards took play close to the Cooke line, before creating the space for Jamie Clegg to push through and score. With the added conversion, the score was now 21-0.
As the end of the first half approached, Bangor kept coming at Cooke who, by now, were desperately hoping to prevent any further scores. However, once again in trying to do so, they conceded yet another penalty close to their 5 metre line. Bangor took the scrum and, while it failed to be driven over the line, the ball was recycled before coming back to Clegg who managed to squeeze over in the left hand corner for Bangor’s bonus point try. The tricky touchline conversion was missed, but as the referee blew for half time Bangor were now 26-0 ahead, and looking secure.

From Cooke’s restart, the balance of play began to swing towards the visitors, as Bangor appeared to be caught off guard by the renewed intensity of their opponents. Although a Bangor break got them close to the Cooke line once again, they were undone by a number of penalties that helped to bring Cooke deep into Bangor’s territory. On the 10 minute mark, a good move by Cooke from a tap penalty resulted in a clean break through the Bangor defence and a try to the left of the posts. The conversion was successful, making the score now 26-7.

This appeared to galvanise the Cooke players, who kept up their attacks and gave Bangor little opportunity to clear their lines. It was now their turn to lay siege to Bangor’s goal line and after several minutes of sustained pressure, a quick tap-and-go penalty was forced over for their second try. The kick was missed, but Cooke were moving back into contention at 26-12.

As the Bangor pack had been coming under pressure in the set pieces, some more tactical substitutions were made which steadied the ship and provided a more stable platform from which to attack. Spurred on by the Cooke tries, Bangor raised their tempo and pushed forwards once more. Patient play which saw the ball move from left to right, then back again was eventually too much for the Cooke defence and Darren Kelly drove over from short range for a converted try, to put Bangor ahead by 33-12 with just 14 minutes remaining.

The final minutes were end to end stuff. With just 2 minutes remaining, Cooke broke free and scored their third try to make the score 33-17. Although the win was out of their grasp, they now had a slim chance of getting a fourth try and with it a valuable bonus point. However, from the restart, Bangor once again showed their ability to strike back when Clegg won the ball in the air then, from the resulting ruck, the ball came to Jason Guthrie on the Cooke twenty two who dummied the approaching defender before cutting through the defence and scoring. Cuthbertson rounded proceedings off with another fine kick, to bring the final score to 40-17.

This win puts Bangor one point ahead of Instonians with two games left to play, the first of which is against Clogher Valley at the Cran on Saturday. With Clogher sitting in third place in the league, and having suffered two defeats by Bangor earlier in the season, this game is likely to be a mighty challenge for both sides. As the Bangor players dig deep with regard to concentration and physical reserves, it is the least that their supporters can do by travelling to Fivemiletown to provide much needed encouragement from the touchline.

Bangor team: O McIlmurray, P Whyte. P Dorman, D Kelly, C Burton, M Aspley, D Bradford, J Clegg (c), J Guthrie, G Millar, M Widdowson, D Fusco, M Weir, N Cuthbertson, R McCloskey

Subs: D Caughey, C Stewart

Bangor scorers: C Stewart (2T), J Clegg (2T), D Kelly (1T), J Guthrie (1T), N Cuthbertson (5C)