UNDER 16

Quarter Final

(play by 13 Dec 09)

SEMI FINAL

(play by 21 March 2010

FINAL

(18^th April 2010)

Game 1

Bangor V Llandudno

Game 5

Winners Game 1 V Winners Game 3

Winner Game 5 V Winner Game 6

Game2

Caernarfon V Pwllheli

Game 3

Y Bala V Nant Conwy

Game 6

Winners Game 2 V Winners Game 4

Game 4

LLangefni V Bye

Bangor entered the Mold tournament on Sunday. The Mold U15s team dominated the tournament at this age group scoring a total of 19 tries and conceded nothing all day. Bangor played three games but failed to proceed to the semi-finals on try count.

Aled Thomas(2), Conor Hails(2), Ryan Pugh(2), Dyfed Roberts, Carwyn Roberts and Felix Jackson.

Enthusiasm and effort were not lacking from either side in a hard fought game in which Bangor came back strong in the late stages but could not get the score they desperately needed.

Bangor took an early lead with a penalty from Gwion Williams. The Caernarfon backs looked dangerous every time they ran the ball which was not that often but they took the lead with an excellent try. Their outside half regularly gained ground for them with great kicks into the corner and this led to a forward try to give them a lead 3 - 12 at the break.

In the second half the visitors looked as though they would run away with the game first with a penalty and then with a try on the right wing. Bangor started to come back with a good forward effort led by Connor Jones at No.8 who ran the ball from the back of the scrum and created havoc. This was rewarded with a try from Ben Baker who had a great game and later with a try from Dion Lewis converted by Gwion Williams. Bangor were desperate to score a final try and got the ball to the try line several times but could not ground it and Caernarfon were glad to get the ball off the field at the end.

Bangor travelled to Nant to play the game in warm sunshine within the beautiful Conwy Valley setting. Nant were without a couple of their most prominent players as they had been called into their U16s cup match. The first half was fairly even with Bangor scoring tries through their dominant pack and hooker Conor Hails picking up a couple of tries. Nant replied with a couple of tries of their own making headway through their muscularly built centre. At half time Nant led 14 points to 10.

It was evident that Bangor possessed the bigger forwards and this was an area they exploited to good effect throughout the match with the lighter Nant forwards tiring visibly by the end of the game. Bangor played good intelligent rugby in the second half and scored further three team worked tries through Jamie Robertson and Aled Thomas on the wings and Conor Hails picking up a third for his hat trick in the game. Dyfed Roberts contributed with two conversions and a penalty to put the game out of Nant's reach. A good all-round performance by the forwards was ably led by Harry Caulfield and Will Hainge. Carwyn Roberts and Dyfed Roberts stood out amongst the backs with the versatile Ryan Pugh interchanging well amongst the forwards and backs. Overall a pleasing result with the man of the match going to Conor Hails in what proved to be a memorable day out for him.

Bangor started well making ground through their forwards with good driving and found themselves camped on the Rhyl try line. Hooker Conor Hails found a gap and barged his way over for the first try. Rhyl fought back from the restart and showed good handling skills in scoring through John Granton and they were also successful with the conversion to put Rhyl in front. Bangor's second try was as a result of winger Aled Thomas gathering a clearance kick and running the ball back to score a very good individual try right in the corner. The half time score was ten points to seven in favour of the home team.

The first quarter of the second half was quite an even affair with neither side dominating. Bangor was awarded a penalty just outside the visitor's 20 meter line. Bangor decided to attack and run the penalty through Will Hainge who made excellent ground and when the ball was quickly recycled the prop Wil Marston used his considerable frame and surprising turn of speed to score a well worked try. Dyfed Roberts was successful with the conversion. Rhyl again to their credit came back hard at Bangor and fully deserved their second converted try to put the game back in the balance.

In the final five minutes Bangor's forwards showed good fitness levels and exerted good pressure on Rhyl. Another penalty award saw the now buoyant Wil Marston crashing through the Rhyl forwards to score his second try of the match. Dyfed Roberts added the conversion from a difficult angle. Overall it was a much improved team performance from Bangor with forwards and backs combining well at times and impressing the coaches with the commitment shown on the pitch. Carwyn Roberts dictated well in midfield but on this occasion the man of the match had to go to Wil Marston as it is not often that a prop forward scores a brace of tries.

Bangor led 14 points to nil at half time after being the dominant side in the first half with fine individual tries first from Jake and then Carwyn.

For the second half Colwyn Bay reinforced their side by bringing on a couple of North Wales squad players. These players made a big difference and now Colwyn Bay enjoyed the majority of the possession at the breakdown putting Bangor defensively under pressure and they started to loose their shape. Colwyn fought their way back into the game with some tries of their own. Bangor battled hard and scored a counter attack try from winger Aled which was added to with a penalty kick from Dyfed.

The game was in the balance in injury time with Bangor 5 points up and Colwyn throwing everything at them. Bangor could have scraped a win when they had a chance to put the ball dead in injury time but instead of kicking the ball dead the Bangor player deliberately threw the ball to touch. This gave Colwyn a penalty taken quickly amid the confusion which resulted with a score in the corner for Colwyn to rescue the game. Overall a draw was a fair result.

This was a game Bangor could so easily have won. In the first half they were on the point of scoring a try but an interception saw the visitors flyer run the length of the field to score (see the video). Bangor conceded a penalty in the second half.

The Bangor U16s beat Caernarfon (away in Caernarfon) 26 points to 15 in their first game of the season. Bangor were quite rusty for the first half, some players have been missing from regular training and it showed. The forwards were very effective and showed their skills in the phased play by using the pick and drive and rolling / driving maul as effective weapons.

Caernarfon kicked a penalty in the first 20 minutes but Bangor followed up straight away with a driving maul from a lineout 10 mtrs out from the Cofi line, this was unconverted. Then another driving play resulted in a converted try a few minutes later.

Caernarfon came back late on in the half with a try from a speculative kick into the Bangor 22 where the ball was fumbled by Bangor only to be pounced on by the Caernarfon centre.

The second half Bangor played up the hill but had a lot more assurance and determination about them, the cobwebs were beginning to be blown away.

Bangor scored another try to go 19 points to 10, and began to dominate in the pack, the Cofis had no response to the Bangor back row of Declan Jones, Shaun Hughes and Rhys Williams (and latterly, sub Steven Jones.) who between them out scavenged and tore up the Caernarfon forwards. It has to be said that the Cofis didn’t rollover either and their no12 (their best player on the day) tore though the Bangor defence to score an unconverted try. 15-19 to Bangor.

Bangor then went through a phase that saw them drop the ball over the Cofis line, knock it on over the Cofis line and fluff a penalty move, all of which should have finished of Caernarfon. Eventually Captain Declan Jones went over after a period of sustained forward pressure to make the final score 26 – 15. An entertaining game if not a very attractive one, but a win is a win and hopefully the Bangor lads will now focus on the training sessions and coming games.