On Saturday 20th November Bangor U14s faced Carrick, in a return friendly fixture, to plug the gap in the league fixtures. Both teams were looking forward to this game, as Carrick had proved a stern test for the young Bangor men in the last fixture, with Carrick coming out victors.

Bangor were missing a number of players, so knew they would have a tough task upfront, against a very strong Carrick pack. This was evident from the start of the game, where on the fourth minute Carrick, from the base of a ruck, Carrick ran the ball from the halfway mark and scored what was too easy a try, which was unconverted.

This was to set the tone for the game from a Carrick perspective, whose big forwards sought to assert their dominance over Bangor. The Bangor tackling was poor at times, and Carrick were gifted a number of run-in scores.

This was as much a test of spirit, heart and determination from the Bangor lads, who it must be said have not faced a tough test like this since the league campaign started.

It took the young Bangor lads 20 minutes to get into the game (a trait that has plagued many a Bangor team!) and string together any phases of play. When they did, this resulted in a Bangor score, perhaps instilling some much needed confidence. However this was soon to be extinguished, when Carrick continued to control the game through their strong forwards who showed some good handling skills, as well as good counter rucking in defence.

Overall it was a tough day for the Bangor boys, the final score being 53-14 to Carrick. It is hoped that they will turn this around, and learn from a tough encounter, particularly how to deal with a match in the face of adversity. After all, the boys are still developing their rugby skills. It is hoped the next time the teams face each other, it will be a much more competitive affair, as we know the boys will learn a lot from this tough encounter.

Thank you to those who supported the teams on the touchline, and also to those who volunteered to assist with food etc after the match.

Training again on Wednesday 6:30 - 8:00pm, see you all then with a vigour and determination to put what didn’t go so well against Carrick right!

[Report courtesy of Dave Henderson]