BANN SLIP INTO RELEGATION PLAYOFF SPOT
Corinthians  26  BANBRIDGE 1STs 11
February 21, 2009

An away defeat to promotion-chasing Corinthians saw Banbridge slip into second-bottom place in Division Three of the All-Ireland League.

While Saturday’s defeat would have been the obvious forecast given the relative league standing of the teams, there is no doubt that Bann did enough to earn a losing bonus point. That they didn’t even pick up this modest reward was down entirely to the referee being unsighted in the build-ups to the second and third Corinthians tries, each of which was preceded by a knock-on.

Bann had made a very promising start into the moderate breeze which blew down the pitch. Excellent ball-retention saw them dominate possession in the first ten minutes of play and they opened the scoring with one of the best tries scored by a Bann side in many seasons.

From an initial phase inside their own half, they stretched and probed the Corinthians defence to left and right in a sustained onslaught, before No 8 Matthew Irvine eventually broke through for the touchdown.

Neville Farr’s conversion attempt was off-target, but Bann continued to keep the home side in check, keeping their own “22” Corinthians-free virtually throughout the first half.

Unfortunately their spirited defensive work was let down by their discipline and three penalty opportunities gifted to Corinthians were slotted home by centre Wayne Williams to give the home side a 9-5 interval lead. The last of those earned Farr a 10 minute rest on the sidelines as the referee decided it was time for more punitive action.

After his return to the fray, Farr was again off the mark with a penalty shot seven minutes into the second half. Four minutes later the home side increased their lead. An unfortunate bounce denied them a try initially but when Bann failed to clear their lines Williams was put in at the corner for a score.

Farr found the target with a 55th minute penalty from 35 metres out, leaving a six point gap between the sides. That became 13 points with the first of those disputed tries scored in the 62nd minute, Williams adding the conversion.

A second Farr penalty from similar range brought Bann back within striking range of a bonus point and the visitors intensified their efforts to get some return from their trip west. Richard Finlay went close with ten minutes remaining, his collision with a goalpost marking the beginning of another period of prolonged pressure on the home line. But the league leaders were showing they had the defensive qualities to match their ambition and every drive for the line was repulsed.

Finlay twice attempted drop goals but when the second was charged down Corinthians followed up on the loose ball, knocking on before retrieving at the second attempt and taking advantage of an understandably hesitant defence to register their third try. The unsuccessful conversion attempt was the last act of the game, leaving a dejected Bann side to face the long journey home knowing that their hard work had merited a better return.

With the other teams in the play-off zone at the wrong end of the table picking up points, Bann now know they go into the last four games of the season facing the greatest threat to their senior status since they moved up from the junior ranks ten years ago.

At the same time they will take great encouragement from Saturday’s display. They will be disappointed by those defensive lapses, but their ball retention and ability to move the ball wide as exemplified by that first half try show they are on the right tracks, even if at times their decision-making was questionable.

Hooker Paul Ross had probably his best game in a Bann shirt, prop Michael Cromie worked hard throughout, back-turned-flanker Brian Woods again showed up well and centre Ashley Finlay was the liveliest of the threequarters.

Queen’s are next up on Saturday week. Bann have not enjoyed the best of fortunes against the students in recent seasons but Barnhall ran them close on Saturday and with home advantage Bann are well capable of picking up their fourth win of what is proving a very challenging season.