Banbridge Rugby Club - Northern Ireland

Bann were unlucky on a few occasions when using this as a base for attack but the opening score duly arrived with 25 minutes played. Territory had been initially gained when the forwards won a penalty in the ruck, and out-half John Ferris sent his kick soaring down the line. The well functioning line-out secured tidy ball and the pack set off towards the line. When Dromore infringed in their efforts to stop the Bann surge, they found themselves facing a set scrum which they had been clearly keen to avoid. A series of five scrums took place 5 metres out, with Bann's patient approach finally earning the reward of a try thanks to a touchdown from livewire scrum-half Craig Mulholland (pictured). Clark McAllister saw his conversion attempt hit the upright and bounce out.

With confidence in the home ranks now on an upward curve, they showed that the conditions did not mean they had to adopt an `up the jumper` game. First No.8 Sam Boyd broke off the tail of a scrum just inside the Dromore half and went on a run that ended 10 metres short of the try line. Davidson also went on a run the backs would have been proud of, gaining about 40 metres. Frustratingly though for Bann, they were still only 5-0 to the good at the break.

The second half continued with Bann being patient, and some forays by the backline, marshalled by fullback Adam Waugh and orchestrated by Captain Geoff Thompson. Indeed it was the skipper who brilliantly touched down after a move that showed the difference between the two teams. Bann had been working their way up field when they went into a Dromore scrum 30 metres from the visitors' line. The Bann pack won the ball against the head. Instead of driving forward, Sam Boyd broke before feeding Mulholland. Slick hands from Ferris to Thompson saw the backs attack at speed and in numbers, and this allowed Thompson to beautifully cut inside as Dromore tried to cover the overlap. He sprinted past two defenders, leaving McAllister's conversion a formality.

With Bann now calling the shots, Dromore were being forced to kick the ball in attempts to gain reasonable ground after being tackled back into their own half. With Bann 12 - 0 to the good, they made Dromore take chances, and on one occasion winger John Porter`s chase after a Ferris kick saw the Dromore defender knock on. Porter played on and his kick through bounced the wrong side of the touchline when he had the try line at his mercy.

The final stages saw Bann resolutely play the percentage game, and restrict the supply of ball in hand that Dromore needed to get back into the game. However the young Barban Hill outfit stuck resolutely to their task, eventually breaching the Bann line and adding the conversion. But Bann saw out the two minutes that remained to take their place in the second round.

Overall, this was a satisfactory performance from the Seconds. They adapted better to the testing conditions and showed a greater cutting edge in the backs, ably supported by a hard grafting pack. With sound performances in the backs, epitomized by Geoff Thompson, it was, however, the sheer work ethic of lock Conn which deservedly earned him the man-of-the-match accolade.