BANN SLUMP TO SIXTH DEFEAT
BANBRIDGE 1STs 5 Carlow  15 
January 17, 2009

Bann slumped to their sixth defeat in eight AIB League outings at a wet and windy Rifle Park on Saturday. Playing in some of the worst conditions seen at the ground in a number of years the locals failed to get to grips with a determined Co Carlow outfit and ended up without even a losing bonus point to show for their troubles.

However, it all looked so different in the early minutes of the game. Playing with any advantage of the wind in the first half, although at this stage it was blowing more across than down the pitch, Bann started strongly and were deserving of their sixth minute try.

Having dominated the opening salvos Bann worked themselves into a position of pressure on the Carlow line and it was open-side flanker Darren Cochrane who picked up and drove over from five metres with the support of Neville Farr. It was Farr, who had moved to out-half in the absence of Richie Finlay, who attempted the conversion but after the wind blew the ball over his drop-kick was wide of the mark.

The locals continued on the offensive from the kick-off as they sought to add to their five point advantage. Looking vastly superior in the scrums, Bann looked the stronger side but despite a good twenty minutes in and around the visiting ‘22’ they failed to turn their pressure into points.

They had their chances, most notably when they drove to within inches of the Carlow line after some picking and driving and when the scrum walked the visitors back from ten metres out. Farr also had a penalty attempt but he pushed it wide when the wind didn’t affect it as much as expected.

Playing with the wind Bann knew they had to build a significant advantage and they knew their territorial advantage would count for nothing if it didn’t show on the scoreboard.

It was Carlow though who registered the second score of the game much against the run of play. Moving the ball the ball left from a scrum on their own ten-metre line, the visitors’ centre Greg Jacob broke through some weak Bann defence and made good ground before passing to his full-back Ross Barbour who was able to complete the task of running in under the posts from thirty metres out.

Jacob added the conversion to give Carlow a 7-5 lead, which they would maintain to half-time.

Playing against the wind in the second period Bann knew they had a difficult task and so it proved as they struggled to take play outside their own half.

Carlow looked dangerous with turnover ball and it was from such possession that their first significant attack of the half came. Moving the ball right after twelve minutes their right-winger kicked ahead and when he went down on the ball in the Bann ‘22’ Farr dived on the winger and received a yellow card for preventing unfair release.

The Leinster men would make their one-man advantage count three minutes later when they found an overlap on the left and, making no mistake with handling in the conditions, the ball was moved to rookie centre Rory Stynes who ran in for the score midway out on the left for a 12-5 lead.

Bann’s frustration showed four minutes later when second row Johnny Martin was sent to the sin bin for retaliating to leave Bann with thirteen men for a few minutes. Carlow made their extra men count a minute later when Jacob added a penalty to take the lead out to 15-5, leaving Bann needing two scores to win.

In truth they didn’t look like getting even one for all their efforts in the closing twenty minutes. Running the ball at every opportunity, with Michael Cromie, Colin Bickerstaff and Pieter Odendaal to the fore, they fought hard but their efforts were largely ineffective, any ground won being very gradual.

The ball all too often was passed to someone standing flat and stationary, making it easy for the visiting defence.

The final whistle blew to leave Carlow worthy victors at 15-5 and to leave Bann facing something of a relegation battle as they ended the weekend in thirteenth of sixteen in Division Three of the AIL.

This Saturday the Rifle Park men make the journey to County Kildare to face ninth-placed Naas, knowing that points are needed to begin the climb up to mid-table security.