Having struggled to perform against the bottom placed clubs in the league, Bangor travelled to Barban Hill to face last year’s league winners and a top four contender for this season. At the last meeting between these two sides at Upritchard Park, Bangor fell to a heavy defeat but, with Dromore having to squeeze in rescheduled fixtures before the end of March, this was likely to be a closer affair as Dromore tried to manage their player welfare over this period.

In good playing conditions – sunshine, slight breeze and a remarkably firm surface – Bangor kicked off, with Dromore clearing the ball into touch by way of reply. Having been unable to make much ground with their kick, Dromore had to defend a Bangor lineout inside their own twenty-two. Having secured the ball, Bangor then advanced through a strong forward drive. As the maul trundled towards the Dromore line, Andy Smyth seized the opportunity and broke free before stretching for the line and scoring. Rhys Larmour’s conversion attempt narrowly missed the target, but Bangor had stunned their hosts with a 0-5 lead within the opening minute of play.

Shortly after the restart, Dromore were awarded a penalty in front of Bangor’s posts, which they close to kick for goal. Surprisingly, the ball bounced back of the upright which allowed Bangor to regain possession and clear the danger with a kick to touch. If Bangor thought that luck was going to be on their side, they were to be quickly disappointed. Within a couple of minutes, Dromore had the ball once more and set off on a good attacking run. Although Bangor looked to have plenty of men back in defence, poor tackling allowed for a relatively simple jog through by Dromore to score under the posts and take the lead by 7-5.

It was a full 20 minutes later that Dromore got their second try after a sustained period of pressure which Bangor were unable to clear. However, despite now being behind by 14-5, Bangor showed flashes of promise and managed to hold firm until the half time whistle.
From Dromore’s restart for the second half, Bangor were on the lookout for another score to narrow the gap. Having forced a penalty after 10 minutes of play, Bangor found a good touch deep inside Dromore’s twenty-two. Another textbook lineout and drive followed, which was then finished off by Thomas Boyd with a dive for the line. Larmour was off-target with the conversion, but Bangor were right back in the game at 14-10.

The restart was easily taken by Bangor and, after a couple of passes, the ball came to Andy Smyth just inside his own half. Nothing looked to be particularly dangerous at this point, but then Smyth set off on a characteristic run which saw him ride through a couple of tackles before breaking through with just one defender to beat. This wasn’t an issue for Smyth as he rounded the Dromore player but a swinging arm caught him high and brought him down. However, Smyth’s momentum was enough to see him stretch over the line and touch the ball down. Although Smyth had earned the score, the referee judged the tackle to be dangerous and awarded a penalty try instead, while also showing the yellow card to the Dromore player. Bangor were now back in front by 14-17.

This score jolted the Dromore players back into action and having quickly got the action back inside Bangor’s twenty-two, several determined line drives later they forced their way over for a try close to the posts. With the added conversion, Dromore were now back in the lead by 21-17. Shortly afterwards, their attack once again found Bangor’s defence lacking, allowing them to run in their fourth converted try which also secured their bonus point.

With the score now 28-17 to the home side, and 15 minutes left to play, it looked like the end result was now settled. However, a determined line break 5 minutes later by Gareth Millar split the Dromore defence. Having made the initial break, he passed inside to Ryan Young who ran clear to score Bangor’s bonus point try under the posts. When Larmour added the conversion, the score was now 28-24 and, once again, everything to play for. As the clock counted down, it was Bangor who looked the more likely to score next. However, Dromore stubbornly held on to their slender lead and looked relieved when the final whistle finally came and they could celebrate their victory.

Once again, Bangor ended up on the losing end, but had the consolation of picking up two valuable bonus points which, when viewed in relation to other results of the day, guarantees their safety from dropping into the play-off zone and actually positions them more respectfully in the middle of the league table. Hopefully Bangor can now build on this improved performance and the removal of league pressure to upset Lurgan’s ambitions when the two sides meet at Upritchard Park next week.