Having been unable to pick up any league points in their previous two outings, Bangor needed a win to get back into a more competitive position at the top end of the league. With the welcome return of Craig Gilroy and Connor Scollan at out-half and wing, Bangor had assembled a competitive side that would have been hoping to repeat the type of performance that had convincingly beaten Lurgan back in November. Lurgan, on the other hand, had been feeling their way into the new league and felt that they were now in a more informed position at the start of the second half of the season. However, they took to the field without their usual, first choice scrum half and centre due to injuries.

From Bangor’s kick-off, both sides took time to settle into their game, with Bangor in particular discovering that they weren’t going to have things as easy as in their previous meeting. A moment of Bangor madness on half way, gave Lurgan a penalty which they took quickly. Bangor’s defence looked out of shape, allowing the Lurgan attack to push through and pick up their opening try, which was also converted, to take an early 0-7 lead.

This opportunist score prompted Bangor to fight back and in the next ten minutes produced two unconverted tries from Rob Gamble and Thomas Boyd. Now ahead by 10-7, things looked to have got back on track for Bangor.

Both restarts by Lurgan were mishandled by Bangor which gave the visitors unexpected attacking opportunities. The second one resulted in a penalty for Lurgan which they kicked to touch. Lurgan’s forward play, especially in the set pieces, had already been shown to be superior to Bangor’s and this lineout was no different. A clean catch, followed by a concerted drive produced another converted try to regain the lead by 10-14.

Bangor obviously hadn’t learned from this latest score, as they conceded another costly try within a couple of minutes of the half time whistle. Once again, Lurgan did the basics well and their kick, lineout and drive produced the same result, putting them further ahead by 10-21 at half time.

The second half started with promise for Bangor. After 14 minutes, the Lurgan scrum half was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on inside his own twenty two. This time it was Bangor’s turn to take advantage and, although their initial lineout and drive was stopped, they patiently recycled the ball until Patrick Dobie, who had only recently been brought on as a replacement, saw enough of a gap to dive through and score. Danny Young added the conversion bringing the score to a more respectable 17-21.

With both sides now on three tries, the race was on to see who could pick up the bonus point try and either take or extend the lead. Given Bangor’s susceptibility to penalties, it was no surprise when Lurgan got the valuable score after another Bangor error inside their own twenty two.

By now, the Lurgan players were visibly more confident in their attacks and this was clearly demonstrated soon afterwards when, still with a man in the sin bin, they opted for a long cross-field kick which was scooped out of the sky before rounding Bangor’s last defender for a well-taken try, which was also converted.

Now well ahead by 17-35, and just 13 minutes left to play, Lurgan kept up their pressure and quickly put the game to bed with another well-taken try after a strong break through the centre. Lurgan’s kicker had been on great form all day, and the touchline conversion didn’t cause any extra problems as he added the extras to put his side out of Bangor’s reach at 17-42.

Bangor’s determination to come away with something from the game was finally rewarded in the final moments when some long passes found Connor Scollan on the left wing. Despite the efforts of the Lurgan defence to prevent the score, Scollan wasn’t to be denied and, although his try wasn’t converted, he had managed to salvage a try-scoring bonus point for Bangor.

There are some on the touchline that reckoned Bangor didn’t deserve to take anything from the game, such was the poor standard of play on show. It was obvious that Lurgan had learned from their previous defeat by Bangor and had a game plan to turn things around. Given their boost in performance, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t carry on with further positive results and secure their place in the league. For Bangor, this result must be viewed as a wake-up call that, if unheeded, may lead to further embarrassment in the weeks ahead. Certainly, the short-term outlook doesn’t look promising as Bangor travel to high-flying Enniskillen next Saturday in the next round of the Towns Cup.