Archive for the ‘U19s Fixtures’ Category

NUTTY KRUST FLOODLIT TOURNAMENT 2009- 2010

Portadown 34 Ballymena 3

 Portadown U 19s advanced into the second round of the Nutty Krust Tournament, by virtue of a comprehensive 34-3 victory over their Ballymena U 19 counterparts on Wednesday night under the Chambers Park floodlights.

 In a match, that was a great advertisement for U 19 rugby Portadown’s forwards were completely dominant throughout. This dominance afforded the  enterprising home backline a lot of opportunities to display their running skills which resulted in five tries, three of which were converted, for the host club. Strong running right wing Stephen Hyde scored two, with full back Reece Brown, replacement left wing Aaron Mc Clelland and centre Robbie Faloon adding one apiece. Out half, and Nutty Krust Man of the Match, Chris Cousens added 3 conversions and a penalty. Ballymena’s solitary points came from an early penalty by out half Mark Wiggins.

 Up front the Portadown forwards dominated the lineout through Ulster U 18 players Lee Bicker & Luke Montgomery. The Portadown scrum, with Ulster U 19 tight head Lee Mc Clure to the fore, ensured that Ballymena had no respite in the set pieces. Their set piece dominance continually led to the visitor’s defence being placed constantly under pressure either through powerful forward drives or strong running by the host’s talented backline. The back row of Ashley Pepper, Gareth Crooks and Ulster U 18 openside Gareth Mc Niece along with lock Bicker were especially prominent in carrying the battle to Ballymena whilst the backline, well marshalled, by out half Cousens, looked threatening every time they received possession. The lines of running taken by centres Robbie Faloon & Lee Mc Adam breached a valiant visitor’s defence on numerous occasions to release the outside backs to score 4 of the team’s 5 tries.

 Portadown play the winners of the Rainey/Ophir game (to be played on 17 March)

 Next week there are two games in the Tournament. On Tuesday night (9^th. March) Banbridge face neighbours Dromore and the following night  (Wednesday 10^th.) Ballymoney take on last year’s Nutty Krust winners Ballynahinch. Both matches kick off at 7.45p.m

Portadown ‘s U 19s gained revenge for their early season loss in the maiden city when they defeated City of Derry 23-3 in  the Ulster U 19 League at Chambers Park last Saturday.

 The locals started brightly and took a 3-0 lead when out half Chris Cousens converted penalty awarded against City of Derry for coming in the side at a  ruck. The locals dominated the early exchanges but were unable to capitalise on good line out possession provided by lock forward Lee Bicker. City of Derry were awarded a penalty on one of their rare visits into the Poradown half and levelled the score at 3-3. Just before half time Cousens added another 3 points, when he punished yet another City of Derry infringement, leaving Portadown 6-3 up at half time.

From the restart Portadown attacked and a sweeping back movement following quick ruck ball saw centre Robbie Faloon, who was a constant threat to Derry throughout the match with his powerful running, go over close to the posts. Cousens added the conversion to give Portadown a 13-3 lead. The Portadown forwards dominated up front with a number of excellent rolling mauls keeping City of Derry under pressure. Lee Bicker and captain Gareth Mc Niece were particularly prominent and every time they carried the ball they got over the gainline.

The Portadown backs enjoying a surplus of good quick ball continued to keep City of Derry under pressure. Cousens added another penalty before prop forward Ben Williamson finished off another powerful drive by the forwards by touching down close to the posts. Cousens added the conversion leaving Portadown clear winners on the day.

Lock forward Bicker shaded the Man of the Match award with his excellent display in the lineout, his powerful ball carrying and a high workrate throughout. Captain and openside flanker Gareth Mc Niece and centre Robbie Faloon also were outstanding on the day.

Coach Darren Thompson was delighted with the performance as it was the first time in weeks that the team has played to its abilities with both backs and forwards combining well.

 The team’s next match is on Wednesday night when they take on Ballymena in the Nutty Krust Floodlit tournament in a 7.45 kick off.

In the second half the young Ports proved to be more of a handful and tested the Banbridge defence on numerous occasions especially through breaks by Faloon & Currie. Most of the play in the second half was in the Banbridge half but a combination of good defence by the visitors and crucial handling errors by the locals meant the Bann line remained intact. The only score of the second half came as a result of a good break by the visitor’s scrum half who darted away from the base of a ruck near the half way line to score. It was a much improved second half from Portadown but they were always second best to Banbridge especially up front.

On Saturday they faced Enniskillen in a 2.30 kick off. From the start it was evident that the return of Lee Bicker had a very positive effect as Portadown totally dominated the lineouts but unfortunately the backline,, who had looked so threatening against Banbridge were having an off day! Their lines of running were easily defended by Enniskillen and all too often the ball was taken into contact when a pass could have resulted in a try. Up front,not content with his lineout domination, Bicker was also outstanding as a ball carrier as he drove time and again through the Enniskillen fringe defenders, Young loose head prop Jordan Fiddes also had an outstanding game in the loose as he breached the visitor’s defence on numerous occasions. It was no surprise that Portadown’s tries came through the forwards. Lock forward Ashley Walker powered his way through for try number one after a sustained period of Portadown pressure and the lead was increased to 10 points when number 8 Ashley Pepper, who was having a good game, added a second try just before half time. Out half Cousens was having an off day with the boot and missed both conversions.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first with Portadown dominating the forward exchanges but poor play by the backline meant the Enniskillen line remained in tact. Midway through the half Portadown lost the influential Bicker but still they dominated the lineout with hooker Tyler Irwin finding skipper Gareth Mc Niece  regularly.

With ten minutes to go Portadown contrived to lose a game that they were never in any danger of losing when they made three errors which virtually gifted Enniskillen 13 points! Firstly they were caught napping twice from midfield scrums. The scrums were uncontested from the start as Enniskillen were unable to field a proper front row but it was only with ten minutes to go that Enniskillen decided to try a number 8 pick up from the base. Portadown’s flanker was caught sleeping as the Enniskillen number 8 raced deep into Portadown territory leading to Enniskillen’s opening try near the posts. The conversion attempt hit the post! From the kick off Enniskillen were awarded another scrum exactly in the same position and their number 8 repeated the process! Yet again the conversion attempt hit the conversion attempt struck the post! With the score at 10-10 Portadown’s luck finally ran out as the backs, perhaps fittingly given their performance throughout, gifted possession to Enniskillen as the match was drawing to a close. From the ensuing ruck Portadown strayed offside and this time the visitor’s kicker made no mistake as he sent the ball between the posts to give Enniskillen a surprising 13-10 victory. Definitely a case of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory!

U 19 lock forward Lee Bicker has once again been invited to attend an Ireland U 18 Clubs’ Training Camp in Ashbourne on 30 & 31 January. This will be Lee’s fourth training camp; he also attends Ulster Development training where he is coached by former Ulster players & Ulster Academy Coaches Niall Malone & Jonny Bell.

Everyone connected with Youth Rugby in Portadown is delighted by Lee’s call up to these two high level squads and wish him every success.

Well done Lee-Keep working & training hard!

After weeks of inactivity a rusty the U 19s played their first match in the new Ulster U 19 League when they entertained neighbours Dromore on Saturday at Chambers Park. Both sides looked rusty and the match resembled an early season fixture with both sides committing basic committing basic errors.

Eventually the home side showed signs of returning to their pre Christmas form when following good lineout work by lock Lee Bicker the forwards pressurised the Dromore defence. This pressure led to an unconverted try being scored by fellow lock Ashley Walker. Despite being under strength Dromore decided that the best form of defence was attack and their well organised backline, well supported by the outstanding Dromore captain and number 8 threatened the Portadown line on a number of occasions. However a strong well organised defence kept the Ports line intact and afteranother period of strong forward pressure Ashley Walker scored his second try when he touched down under the Dromore posts after a well organised maul. Out half Chris Cousens added the extra points to give Portadown a 12-0 half time lead.

Dromore started the second half in confident mood and once again their backline threatened the Ports line. Eventually the defensive line was broken and Dromore scored a well deserved try. This seemed to make Portadown nervous and they turned over possession all too easily allowing Dromore to dominate territory and possession for the opening fifteen minutes of the second half. Inevitably it led to a second try for the visitors narrowing the gap to 12-10.

 The game was now very much in the balance as Dromore grew in confidence but following a series of good lineouts and scrums out half Cousens started to dictate the play and chose to kick Portadown into good field position. Again following a good lineout win by Bicker the forwards mauled towards the visitor’s line and scrum half Reece Brown scooted down the blind side to score a good try and extend Portadown’s lead to 17-10. Dromore refused to lie down a great counter attack from deep inside their half almost led to a score as only a last ditch covering tackle by Cousens stopped the attack just metres from the Portadown try line. This tackle seemed to galvanise the Portadown side as they seemed to rediscover the will to win and once again used their kicking game to keep Dromore under pressure. Dromore’s attempt to clear their own lines led to the next score as a clearing kick landed in the hands of young winger Johnny White who took on the closing defence to side step his way through to score a fine individual try under the posts which was converted by Cousens.

 Dromore now appeared disheartened and it was no surprise when scrum half Reece Brown,  playing  in the centre for the second half in a positional switch, score an excellent individual try to which Cousens added the extra points leaving Portadown as 31-10 winners. Whilst the scoreline flattered the young Ports it was a pleasing start to the new League campaign.

 Portadown’s outstanding players on the day were number 8 Gareth Crooks & captain Gareth Mc Niece who led by example. These two players were responsible for numerous turnovers which helped prevent Dromore from capitalising during their periods of dominance. Special mention to three of the U 17 players who stepped up a level to perform well for the U 19s-Johnny White; Teina Reid & Johnny Herron.

 This week Portadown are the free team in the league but Youth fixture secretary Sid Rowe is endeavouring to arrange a game to try and allow the team to build some momentum.

Yet again the Portadown Under 19s found themselves on the road-they have had only one League match at home to date-as they travelled to Clogher Valley.

Coach Darren Thompson had a busy week as the senior squad selected three of the team’s regular players for their All Ireland League game against Wanderers and lock forward Lee Bicker was in Dublin at an Ireland Clubs’ Under 18 training camp. Injuries further depleted the side.

However Darren used all his contacts to ensure he was able to fulfil the fixture albeit with a rather makeshift team which involved players playing out of position.

Despite the changes the team settled quickly and put a lot of pressure on the Clogher Valley boys. Against the run of play Clogher Valley opened the scoring. This seemed to galvanise the young Ports as they continued to play attacking rugby but once again too many opportunities were missed as handling errors let them down as they looked likely to score.  However eventually the scores did come with two backline moves producing tries one of which out half Chris Cousens kicked -a difficult touchline conversion to leave the final score 12 -12.

 The first half of the season has been disappointing due to the failure of clubs to travel to Chambers Park to fulfil their fixtures. The Ulster Branch Youth Committee has drawn up a new League structure which will start on 2 January and Portadown will play 5 matches at home & 5 away. It will prove a much more competitive League as it involves Banbridge, Ballynahinch and Dromore. Coaches Darren Thompson & Barry Gribben are looking forward to the newly restructured leagues as they feel it will provide more continuity and better quality matches for their team.

This Saturday the team finally get to play at chambers Park when they entertain neighbours Banbridge ina 2.0 kick off.

Portadown Under 19s returned to League action last Saturday when they undertook the long journey up to play Letterkenny. Buoyed by two good performances in recent fllodlit games- a good win at home against Lurgan College followed by a 17-5 loss to Ballynahinch away-the Portadown team travelled in confident mood.

Despite two of their squad being called up for the 1XV panel to play Rainey in the AIB League the team & a number of regulars being unavailable/injured Portadown seized the initiative from the kick off as they immediately moved the ball wide and threatened the Letterkenny line. Lee Bicker’s return to the team saw the Portadown dominate the lineout and this good quality possession was welcomed by the backs who were causing the L:etterkenny defence problems especially through strong running from wing Paddy Currie. Ashley Pepper, playing out of position in the centre, made two excellent breaks but they came to nothing as the final pass went astray on both occasions when a score seemed likely. Despite dominating possession & territory Portadown’s only score in the first half was a Chris Cousens’ penalty.  A piece of slack defending just before the break allowed Letterkenny to score against the run of play leaving them 5-3 in front at half time.

Injuries to hooker James Knox and lock Lee Bicker meant Portadown had to reorganise their team at the interval and the fluency of the first half was definitely missing for the first 15 minutes of the second half. Ashley Pepper made another great break taking play from the Ports half into the Letterkenny 22 but once again the final pass failed to find a supporting player. After a period of sustained pressure Portadown wing Paddy Currie,who looked dangerous throughout,  scored the visitor’s first try. Cousens converted to give Portadown a 10-5 lead. As confidence grew Portadown continued to attack and captain Gareth Mc Niece added a second try after a quick piece of thinking when the referee awarded Poratdown a penalty close to the Letterkenny line. Out half Cousens converted to give the visitors a 17-5 lead. Yet again slack play allowed Letterkenny to score a consolation try just before the final whistle.

Far from a vintage performance but a good victory nonetheless. Portadown will need to learn to keep their concentration and cut down on their errors if they are to win regularly. At times they were outstanding in attack but all too often they gave away possession needlessly.

This Saturday they are on the road once again as they travel to play Clogher Valley in the Brewin Dolphin League.

Portadown travelled to Malone last Saturday to play a friendly with a pretty much full strength team, which included no less than five Ulster U19 or U18 players, one of whom was Ulster U 19 out half Johnny Pollock who to date has been a member of the 1 XV panel but was available due to work commitments which prevented him from travelling with the firsts to Naas.
 
Portadown started the game positively having most of the play and in the right areas, but it was Malone who were first on the score sheet after some good play from their outstanding number 7 He took a quick tap penalty, got in behind Portadown defence and put their winger went over in the corner to give Malone a 5-0 lead. Some good rugby from both sides was making this game an interesting one with both defences being tested. Off a scrum in Portadown’s 22 Malone put in a cross field kick and again caught Portadown napping, 10-0 down. Mid way through the first half Portadown were really applying the pressure especially in the scrum with the front row of McClure, Black and Williamson, but Portadown couldn’t turn their pressure into points and it was Malone who finished the half with a penalty to leave the half time score 13-0.
 
 Portadown started the second half strongly but again through a combination of poor decision making and some very good defence Malone held onto their 13 point lead. As the second half continued injuries to both teams started to take the edge of the game with scrums becoming uncontested scrums for safety reasons. This hurt Portadown more than Malone as this had been the best means of initiating an attack by tying in the very good Malone backrow, The game finished with both teams still trying to run the ball but Portadown’s poor fitness levels started to show as the game went on and the skill levels dropped as Malone held on to win 13-0.
 
Portadown promised so much but on the day didn’t produce and coaches Darren Thompson and Barry Gribben told the players after the game of their disappointment. They said,  “The squad is a talented one but it all starts on the training pitch. Numbers in training need to increase so we can practice the things that need to be done on a Saturday. No matter who is in the team commitment to training with the right attitude is vital. Results have been disappointing because this team has so much to offer but the players are the ones who can put things right on the pitch!”
 
Portadown stand out players on the day were Lee McClure, last year’s captain, and Johnny Pollock.

This Saturday sees Portadown travel to Enniskillen in the Brewin Dolphin Premier League. The boys will get the opportunity to answer their coaches in the best possible way-by putting in a performance and returning with the League points!
 
 

 Saturday was a day to forget for the PRFC U 19s!  Firstly the bus was over an hour late in leaving Chambers Park, then it was caught up in heavy traffic on route to Londonderry thus meaning what was supposed to be a 1.00p.m. kick off became a 2.30 kick off. The boys had assembled at 10.00 and finally reached their destination at 2.00p.m. somewhat frustrated, hungry & tired!

Little wonder that their performance was well below par. However rather surprisingly they started off well when a fine break by Reece Brown-playing out of position in the centre- led to a score in the corner by impressive young full back Joel Hoey. Unfortunately out half Chris Cousens was unable to add the points. Portadown’s pack with Ulste players Lee Mc Clure; Lee Bicker & Gareth Mc Niece to the fore- dominated the lineout with Bicker once again providing plenty of possession. Their scrum too was in total control.

However the backs were unable to match the forwards in that they made too many basic handling errors. The area that gave most concern was the breakdown where City of Derry were able to turn over the ball too often & too easily. It was from one such turnover that City of Derry went into the lead with a converted try.

The second half continued in the same pattern as the first with Portadown’s forwards securing plenty of possession but turnovers meaning City of Derry remained in the lead. Midway through the second half the Ports backline eventually clicked leading to a fine try for full back Hoey who raced in close to the posts. Unfortunately for Portadown out half Cousens kick struck the post and rebounded back into play. Portadown defended valiantly against wave after wave of attack by the hosts but just as the game entered injury time City of Derry’s U 19 centre Bratten raced broke through to score. The conversion was added to leave the final score 14-10 in favour of the host club.

Taking everything into account the boys deserve credit for their performance but they were disappointed because they knew it was a match that they could have won. However on appositive note the coaches can take heart from the commitment of a team stretched by injuies and the loss of centre Lee Mc Adam, a key player in the back line, to the first XV. Great credit has to go to Reece Brown, who was last year’s scrum half-Reece is working hard to fill the gap left by Lee’s promotion. Injuries have also meant players playing out of position in the forwards as well.

This weekend the U 19s travel to play Cavan in the Brewin Dolphin League. Kick off is at 2.30p.m.