YOUTH TEAM

FRIENDLY GAME

FRIDAY APRIL 6^th

BANGOR 26 - LIVINGSTONE 14

Bangor played hosts to the visiting Scots from Livingstone and fielded a young side. Many of the Bangor players were from under 16 side who have recently reached the age of 17 and this was the team that will carry the banner for Bangor Youth next season. Livingstone got off to an impressive start and looking very good behind the scrum they soon put there left wing in with a well timed pass on the blind side followed by a touchline conversion. Bangor gradually started to knit together and play as a unit. Centre Craig Pritchard created their first chance with a break that ended with left winger Wil Jones racing in for his first try at youth level. Their next try came from two more newly promoted players when Oleu Peyrasse made a storming run down the touchline and then lobbed the ball infield for scrum half Sean Williams to touch down. Outside half Daffydd Roberts converted. Roberts started the next scoring move with a clever kick into space chased down by Craig Pritchard and gathered by Wil Jones for his second try. Roberts put in a superb conversion from the touchline to extend the lead to 19 - 7. The Scots struck back before half time hacking the ball up field from a Bangor error and getting a penalty try when they were blocked from touching down.

Turning round with a lead of 5 points, the game was still there to be won by both sides and the second half became something of a stalemate with the packs battling it out. Two other new promotions substitute scrum half Meurig Thomas and forward Gwion Bowen both put in lively performances for Bangor and played part in the next score helping Ruben Elliot to force his way over in a ruck that started with a tap penalty. Roberts' conversion sealed the game.

Wil Jones was voted man of the match by the visitors and presented with a try after the game.

Click on picture to see full size.

Bangor are playing in yellow.

FRIENDLY GAME

SATURDAY MARCH 3^rd

WREXHAM 41 - BANGOR 10

Bangor were missing crucial players and the game was played with uncontested scrums. Wrexham were undoubtedly the better side and split the Bangor defence wide open in the first half with their fast backs who ran in 5 tries. Bangor managed an early penalty from Sean Williams but even in this half the Bangor pack showed that they could more than hold their own and came close to forcing their way over several times.

The second half saw a determined Bangor side willing to learn from their mistakes and with Gruff Tudor and Gareth Roberts forming the power house they kept the game tight and occupied the home side's territory for much of the half. Craig Pritchard did well at outside half and was sound in defence and touch line kicks. The back row led by Ruben Elliot put in some great tackles to stop the home team from running the ball. After conceding a try to Wrexham Bangor struck back with a good forward effort and then centre John Rolling rounded off a great period of play with a try converted by scrum half Sean Williams. A late break away try made the score line look good for Wrexham but this Bangor team can be proud of the way they played.

Click on pictures to see full size

NORTH WALES YOUTH LEAGUE DIVISION 2

SATURDAY DECEMBER 2^nd

BANGOR 5 - NEWTOWN 30

The squad was decimated by first team calls and work commitment so the game was played with 12 aside and uncontested scrums. Bangor did well to hold their own for some time and the score was 5 - 7 at half time with a try from Tom Morris. The second half proved too much for the young Bangor side who showed a lot of resolve and commitment but Newtown made better use of the conditions and with the fresh substitutes they were allowed to bring on they scored three more tries a conversion and two penalties.

Click on pictures to see full size

Youth Team Friendly

Tuesday Nov.28^th

Bangor 17 - Rhyl 20

Both teams had large squads and brought on many fresh legs throughout this friendly game. Bangor started well and certainly did not look out of their depth against the visitors from the higher division. Bangor have a tendency to be drawn into rucks leaving their wing exposed and Rhyl did just that with a quick pass wide that found a big overlap and a straightforward try in the corner. They should have scored more in this way but the cold wet conditions prompted many handling errors and Bangor broke out with a 60 metre break from outside half Sam Williams and although he was caught near the try line, prop forward Gareth Roberts was able to drive over from the resulting maul for a try converted by Sam Williams. The lead was short lived as Rhyl replied with a penalty to go in at half time with a single point lead.

Bangor regained the lead with a penalty from Mark Jones after the restart but they gave away a great number of penalties that kept them on the defence for a long period and Rhyl really should have pressed home their advantage. They did this only once with a fine try from their centre. Bangor lost a player to a yellow card but responded during this period with some exciting play and pressurised the Rhyl line until hooker Will Withey forced his way over and with the conversion from Mark Jones regained the lead. A shock defeat for the visitors looked on the cards but they showed their true class at the end with slick passing to the wing for a try in the corner.

Click on picture to see full size

Youth Team Friendly

Monday Nov.13th

Bangor 32 - Coleg Glynllifon 0

Both teams were over enthusiastic and keen tackling from both sides caused many handling errors that stopped the game flowing. The College side were younger but had the best of the early scrummages. Bangor had a large squad and were allowed to bring on fresh legs that made a big difference as the game wore on.

The outstanding player was No.8 Callum McKay who broke the impasse with a great individual effort running through the opposition line for a try. Bangor scored there second try when Emil Hirji pounced on a loose lineout ball. Mark Jones made the only conversion of the night.

Callum McKay opened the second half scoring with a 50 metre run to the try line. Bangor then occupied the try line for some time and only good defence from the visitors held them up. Bangor eventually made a successful maul with Mark Jones credited with touching down. With the visitors tiring and Bangor gaining in confidence the game finally flowed and Kieron Murphy finished off a good bout of handling with a try. The final score resulted from a panic clearance kick that was fielded by forward Gareth Roberts who beat one defender to touch down.

The result might appear to be a fair one because the teams were evenly matched but it was spoiled by strict refereeing and incessant whistle blowing. Bangor had a good start and dominated the early scrums. They came close to scoring with with a round of pick up and go charges from the pack but when they lost their key prop forward to a head injury the scrums became uncontested and they lost their momentum. Ruben Elliot and Callum McKay were very quick to jump on anything loose and made some good breaks but Llangefni took the lead with a well struck penalty. Bangor missed a penalty chance just before half time.

Bangor spent a long period camped on the Llangefni try line after the restart. Gruff Tudur was prominent in the charges made at the try line and after being held up over the line a few times Bangor were awarded a penalty try and Sam Williams obliged with the conversion. Llangefni resorted to kicking the ball behind the Bangor defence but this was competently fielded and returned by full back Craig Pritchard. Bangor seemed to tire and Llangefni started to dominate the later stages. The home team just missed with a penalty kick but thanks to many other free kicks and scrums in their favour they eventually drove over the line for a try to level the score. Bangor had no time to stage a recovery as the final whistle blew as soon as the conversion was made.

It's a sign of the times when no less than ten players from the team that beat Coleg Normal on Monday were unavailable because of Saturday work commitments. The youths that turned out put up a brave fight against an older and heavier squad and had the best of the first 15 minutes and came close with a penalty from Daniel Roberts. The Visitors then scored two tries in quick succession mainly through their domination of the lineout. Daniel Roberts kept Bangor in touch at half time with a penalty. Playing with the wind in the second half, Pwllheli were quick to make good use of it to pen Bangor inside their 22 m area and four more tries came despite brave tackling and attempts to break out. Bangor players who stood out were Flanker Alex Lovell-Smith and outside half Craig Pritchard.

Watched by a crowd of students and supporters, the Bangor youth team showed that they could punch above their weight when they took on the students of Normal College who looked older and bigger. Normal had most of the ball in the early stages but Bangor took the lead after 25 minutes with a well struck penalty from outside half Sam Williams. Good tackling from Bangor kept Normal at bay but close to half time the students turned up the pressure. First they scored a try in the corner following a brilliant offload from their prop as he was tackled into the corner flag. Next Bangor made a rare mistake and allowed a high ball to bounce instead of catching it and a Normal player following up got the luck of the bounce and went in close to the posts for a converted try.

Bangor started the second half in a determined mood and helped by uncontested scrums took the game to their opponents and occupied their half for a long time. Only good defence kept them at bay as Gareth Roberts and then Gruff Tudur tried to barge over. Eventually the impasse was broken by Sam Williams at outside half who completed a move with a try in the corner followed by a great conversion. The game continued at a frantic pace with both teams giving total commitment. Bangor regained the lead with a try from scrum half Sean Williams, finishing off a good bout of team play. The students turned out to be the stronger finishers and threw everything into the last ten minutes and might have scored but for some errors induced by the good defending. Right at the whistle they seemed to have snatched the match with an overlap on the wing but the pass was slightly forward and the referee blew for the end of the game.

Although they were lacking some key players and playing a team from a division above themselves, Bangor acquitted themselves well and Caernarfon knew that they had been in a hard fought game. Bangor withstood strong early pressure and after that they had equal territorial advantage and at times camped on the Caernarfon line but were missing the strength to cross. They did appear to get a touch down at one time unseen by the referee. Caernarfon scored two tries in the first half one of them from Dominic Yai who dominated the front row. They added four more tries in the second half mainly by catching Bangor off guard with quick tap penalties. Bangor's only score was a penalty from outside half Sam Williams.

This friendly match against Division 1 team Llandudno allowed the use of large squads on both sides by allowing players to be swapped at will. Llandudno showed they were a class act with great handling skills and quick support. They went into an early lead with an unconverted try but Bangor struck back with a try from Declan Griffiths and a conversion from Daniel Roberts to briefly take the lead. The game was not as one sided as the score suggests and Bangor had opportunities to score but did not quite pack the punch or have the luck of the bounce to cross the line. The Bangor defence in the backs has a lot to learn about marking and overlaps but there was some truly heroic tackles made but Llandudno always managed to off load the ball in the tackle and carry on the move. Bangor showed great resolve and never gave up and at times the pack had the visitors on the run.

After a gap of several year the reformed Bangor youth team took to the field at Cae Milltir and started their league campaign in style. Stars of the future put on a good show for the spectators and rewarded their coaches Alan Owen and Sean Kelly for all their pre-season preparation. Bangor got a bit of a fright in the first ten minutes when Abergele dominated play and took the lead with a converted try from Owain Mortimer. Bangor weathered the storm and gradually got on top thanks to some tap penalties. Bangor's first try came when they lost their own throw in but drove the visitors off the ball. Following several drives at the line No.8 Declan Griffiths got over for the first of his hat trick of tries. Sam Williams added another three points with a fine penalty soon after. Abergele had a player sent off and Bangor took advantage by occupying the visitors 22 metre area for a long period and eventually converted pressure into points when they sent the ball wide from a line out and Patrick Large touched down for a try.

Bangor's lineout work was their weak point but the first try of the second half again resulted from losing their throw in and then regaining the ball. Declan Griffiths was on hand to score his second try. Sam Williams converted and was the next try scorer being on the end of a passing move that started from a lineout on the other side of the field. The next try was a great individual effort from Declan Griffiths with a power run from half way and converted by Chris Roberts. The last try came from Sean Davies following a round of good running and passing and Chris Roberts added the conversion.

.................................................................................................

Date	Venue	Opponents	Type	Comments/Result
September 12^th	Home	Abergele	League	Won 39 - 7
September 19^th	Home	Llandudno	Friendly	Lost 7 - 55
October3^rd	Home	Caernarfon	Friendly	Lost 3 - 32
October 23^rd	Home	Coleg Normal	Friendly	Won 15 - 12
October 28^th	Home	Pwllheli	League	Lost 3 - 36
November 3^rd	Away	Llangefni	League	Drew 10 - 10
November 13^th	Home	Coleg Glynllifon	Friendly	Won 32 - 0
November 28^th	Home	Rhyl	Friendly	Lost 17 - 20
December 2^nd	Home	Newtown	League	Lost 5 - 30
February 10^th	Home	Caernarfon	Round Robin	Lost 5 - 10
February 10^th	Home	Glynllifon	Round Robin	Won 12 - 10
March 3^rd	Away	Wrexham	Friendly	Lost 41 - 10
April 6^th	Home	Livingstone	Friendly	Won 26 - 14

Scorer	Tries	Pen	Con	Drop	Total
Declan Griffiths	4				20
Sean Davies	1				5
Sam Williams	2	3	2		29
Chris Roberts			2		4
Patrick Large	1				5
Daniel Roberts			1		2
Sean Williams	2	1	1		15
Gareth Roberts	2				10
Emil Hirji	1				5
Kiean Murphy	1				5
Mark Jones	1	1	2		12
Will Withey	1				5
Tom Morris	1				5
John Rollings	1				5
Callum McKay	2				10
Wil Jones	2				10
Daffydd Roberts			3		6
Ruben Elliot	1				5

Venue