A great atmosphere prevailed at Donaldson Park with Mini Rugby from Donaghadee and Bangor entertaining a large crowd prior to the main event - the second meeting of near neighbours Donaghadee & Bangor in this season’s Kukri Qualifying One.

After both sides missed kickable penalties it was Bangor who were having the better of the set-piece exchanges and pressure from their scrum yielded two penalties both of which were converted to allow them to open up a 6-0 lead.

Neither side was gaining the upper hand at this stage but it was veteran Bangor scrum-half Ricky Armstrong who stretched his side’s lead following a characteristic dart and feint towards the Dee line led to the first try of game. The conversion was added to leave the half-time score 13-0 in favour of the visitors.

Although the wind was in their favour in the second half Donaghadee were now playing a chasing game and were unfortunate to lose right-wing Ryan Irvine to the sin-bin for perceived team offences. Paradoxically the Dee now exhibited their best form of the game but were undone when a loose lineout was spilled in the Bangor twenty-two before their Captain and stand-out player on the day Jamie Clegg broke to feed winger Charles who ran the length of the field to score an unconverted try.

It was now Bangor’s turn to experience the referee’s wroth and their hooker Jackson was consigned to the sin-bin after one too many illegal incursions by the Uprichard Park men. During the ensuing period Donaghadee attacked relentlessly via rolling maul and backline foray before Alastair Lockhart noticed the Bangor defence lying flat and deftly chipped the ball for Paul McKenzie to pick up and score. Unfortunately the subsequent conversion was missed when a blast of the icy wind which influenced the game all afternoon knocked the ball off the kicking tee after Paul Blewitt’s run-up had started.

Blewitt now used this wind to good effect however keeping Bangor pinned in their own twenty-two for sustained periods of play but Donaghadee were frustrated by occasional unforced errors and exceptional Bangor defence.

The continuity of the game was broken up, however, when a couple of niggles led to handbags and a player for each side was consigned to the bin. Subsequent to this break the Dee lost Max Montgomery to injury and Bangor upped their counter attack game and after Widdowson was stopped just short of the line Bangor were awarded a five metre scrum. After only one re-set Donaghadee were adjudged to have disrupted the scrum for a second time and incredibly the referee award a penalty try to Bangor which they duly converted.

There was no further scoring and the game ended with Bangor running out winners by a 25-5 margin. Ultimately Donaghadee will be disappointed with the result of a game they probably thought they could edge given their recent form but they now look forward to their last three league games against Instonians (A), Dromore (H) and Ballymoney (A) in their continued effort to finish eighth and avoid the threat of potential relegation from the top flight. Irrespective of the result the afternoon and evening was a magnificent occasion both on and off the pitch with a huge crowd enjoying the entertainment and gave further evidence of the vibrancy which exists at this level of rugby in Ulster – especially where local derbys are concerned.