Bangor RFC Digital Match Programme - Ballynahinch (H) - 8 Jan 22 - Bank of Ireland Senior Cup

BANGOR RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

VS

BALLYNAHINCH RFC

SATURDAY 8 JANUARY 2022 14.30 KICK OFF

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

BANK OF IRELAND SENIOR CUP

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Welcome to Upritchard Park A welcome from our Club President, Ricky Armstrong As Bangor Rugby Club President for this incoming 2021/22 season, it is my absolute honour to welcome you all to Uprtichard Park for today's game. It seems like a week ago that I was first bumbling about the grounds as a kid watching my dad play rugby, a day ago that I first laced my boots up for the club myself as a mini player and only yesterday that I had the privilege of captaining the 1st XV! Yet here I am being all serious and weighty in a suit!

After the 18 months we have all had it is a lovely feeling to be back thinking and talking about rugby. it has been dark days for all recently and I think I am correct in saying that getting back to sport is a bit of normality we all have required.

I wish our Director of Rugby, Tom Rock, the senior coaching team, 1st XV captain Declan Horrox & the effervescent Club Captain Andrew Jackson, the best of luck for the upcoming season. We have had an excellent start to the campaign so as we head toward the All Ireland League in October, here’s hoping our squad can keep the momentum going. Our 2nd xv & 3rd xv get going in the next few weeks too and it is my wish that these teams have successful campaigns, but more so that EVERYONE enjoys their rugby.

Good luck to our ever growing Mini & Youth section, (Youth under the new tutelage of Stephen Montgomery and Minis under Stu McCartan), for the coming season and thank you to all the coaches and parents for your work in looking after this integral part of our club. Your continued efforts will provide the members of our adult teams in the years to come, but also we urge you all to stay involved yourselves. You are all most welcome.

Best wishes also must go to the growing Ladies section playing under the banner of ‘north down ladies’, this section goes from strength to strength, and I wish them all well this year.

A special word for all those who already volunteer within the club. Without those who give selflessly of their time to help with the organisation of teams, coaching, committee, fundraising, grounds, bar and so on, our club would not function as well as it does.

We are an ever developing and ambitious club, and with our hope of ongoing growth we are always looking for new volunteers; there is a role for everyone so if you want to help in whatever way you can, please feel free to give me a shout.

I would like to thank all our sponsors for their continued support, and I would appeal to everyone to make a conscious effort to support them during the year, most of them stuck with us through the past 18 months, which we all thank them for. All details can be found on our website.

Finally, I would like to wish all our members, their families, and friends a successful and enjoyable season and I look forward to meeting with you all during the season. Mine’s a Guinness!

Cheers Ricky ‘Tiko’ Armstrong

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A view from The Touchline Read the thoughts of our Director of Rugby, Tom Rock, on this week's game and all the latest from Upritchard Park.

Happy New Year and welcome to Upritchard Park for our first game of 2022, and what a way to start!

When i finally said yes to my wife about moving to Northern Ireland, I was fortunate and privileged to be offered the opportunity to join Ballynahinch as a Player/Coach, whilst it soon became apparent that my playing days were going to be shortlived (I was rubbish, and Brian eventually retired me!), I had a great two years at Ballymacarn, and have nothing but positives to say about the Club and the people I met there, so personally I would like to extend an especially warm welcome to the Hinch men.

Hinch are undisputedly the best Club side in Ulster and have been for several years, you need only see the ruthless and efficient way they saw off a much fancied Queens side pre Christmas to secure the Ulster Senior League as evidence of that. I'm sure the Hinch lads were keen to put high flying Queens back in their place and they did just that. That said, we will do our best to leave our mark on them today, that challenge is exciting and a good opportunity to measure ourselves against a top side.

We have had a good Christmas break, much of which was enforced by COVID. We had around 20 players tested positive or isolating over the Christmas period, and indeed we are still missing one or two today who are still seeing out their quarantine. We are rightly proud to be a tight knit squad, who enjoy spending time together on and off the field, but there is clearly a downside to that when there's an infectious disease doing the rounds!

I won't labour on the disappointing decision of the Ulster branch to dock us points for not travelling to Omagh in the Ulster League on the Saturday before Christmas, they are making difficult decisions around COVID, but I would make the observation that within

3-4 days of our decision we had COVID cases in double figures in the 1st XV squad which can only vindicate our decision.

Unfortunately that weekend also saw us having to cancel our final topless carol singing of the festive season. It was set to be a record number of singers braving the cold, but again common sense had to prevail. Despite missing this final opportunity to raise much needed funds for our chosen charity, Extern, we still managed to top the £3000 mark. Well done to the lads, once again you have done the Club proud.

COVID continues to compound what is a testing injury situation for us; Orran McIlmurray, Blair Morgan, Charlie Sargasion, Michael Ferguson, David Bradford, Jamie Clegg, Ethan Murray, James Henly, Karl Lamont, Adam Lowry, Rhys Larmour, Connor Scollan, Cameron Stewart and David Charles are all struggling with knocks, but on the upside we welcome back Craig Burton back in to the squad today after the birth of baby Noah, as well as handing a 1st XV debut to Sam Murray in the back row.

With one eye on the remainder of the season, it has been confirmed by the IRFU that given the impact of cancelled fixtures throughout the All Ireland League, the competition will revert to a one up, one down arrangement for promotion and relegation. This will see play offs between the Top 4 of each league, the winner of which will replace the loser of a two way play off from the league above. Our win against Skerries in our final game before Christmas keeps us right in that fight, but there is a long way still to go, and all we can do is keep working hard to develop our game and see where that leaves us come April.

Enjoy the game ,

Tom

T O D A Y ' S

O P P O N E N T S

B A L L Y N A H I N C H

R F C

Today we welcome Ballynahinch to Upritchard Park in the first round of the Bank of Ireland Senior Cup. There's no tougher first round draw than Ballynahinch, who in recent times have been at the top of club rugby in Ulster. They are Ulster's only representative in the top tier of the All Ireland League, and having been edged out at the death in the last Senior Cup final by a spirited City of Armagh side will be keen to go all the way this year.

As you would expect from a side of Hinch's calibre, they possess strength in depth, and whatever side they select today it will be formidable.

Olly Loughead, a former Bangor mini player, and son of Colin is likely to start at 7 for Ballynahinch today, and no doubt he will be keen to impress. Of course Olly is not the only connection between the two teams, with our coaching team of Tom Rock and Brian McLaughlin having first worked together at Ballmacarn Park, during which time they led Ballynahinch back to Division 1A of the All Ireland League. Hinch supporters may also recognise the surname Lusty in our lineup, with Conor's father a former

T O D A Y ' S T E A M Hinch player.

Callum Irvine, Bradley Luney and Ryan Wilson are all set to feature in today's game (photo credit John Dickson)

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Help the Club As Bangor Rugby Club Members and Supporters, we all want success for the Club on and off the field. We get so much positive feedback on the Club, and are delighted when we are are recognised in this way, but we achieve this almost exclusively on the goodwill and effort of volunteers.

As our Club grows and succeeds, the reality is we need more support, is this something you could be interested in?

We have a range of roles, with varied levels of commitment, it's fun, it's sometimes hard work, but it's always rewarding.

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