It was a busy morning at Upritchard Park, with all three youth teams in action against their opposite numbers from Civil Service.

The U14s got the action started with an early kick-off, and showed the type of determination and effort that was apparent across all the youth teams. A solid performance in windy conditions saw Bangor ease to a four-try, 26-0 victory, which gives them a great start in their league competition.

The following U16 game proved to be a much more difficult affair. The relatively young Bangor side suffered an early setback when they lost a player to injury, making the game that bit more challenging, coupled with playing into the wind for the first half. Despite Bangor’s efforts, the big Service players used their aggression and physical size to force their way to a 0-19 lead at half-time. Bangor persevered but were outmuscled across the park by Service, and they scored another 19 unanswered points. However, this seemed to light the fuse of players and coaches alike, and Bangor worked hard to claw back two converted tries. Service replied with a final try of their own to finish the game with a 14-45 win. It was another tough day for the lads, but one they can build on and take confidence from the last 10 minutes, where they showed great endeavour and heart.

The final game of the morning featured the U18 boys, and this proved to be the most impressive from Bangor’s perspective. In contrast to their Service opponents, Bangor produced a disciplined, whole team effort to race into a 24-0 lead by half-time. The second half continued in the same vein, although Service’s improved play eventually earned them a consolation try. However, the game belonged to Bangor who finished as the 53-5 winners.

These were all good Bangor performances that auger well for the future, and show the promising pipeline of players that should hopefully grace the senior teams in due course.