- -

VS

Dalriada School

Bangor Grammar School

2012 NORTHERN BANK SCHOOLS’ CUP FOURTH ROUND

- - - - - - - - 11 / 02 / 2012

DALRIADA SCHOOL PLAYING FIELDS

- 2 -

This will be my second trip as coach to

Dalriada. It’s a pretty hostile environ-

ment to go to as either player or coach.

In our first match, Belfast High pushed

us all the way to the final whistle, and

were very good competitors. Because of

this, they were able to stop much of our

attack developing, but our defence was

outstanding and big tackles in the last

seconds of the match were the difference between winning and losing.

This herculean effort will be needed again this weekend as Dalriada,

though their results wouldn’t suggest , are a formidable opposition for

any team at home. The boys have worked hard over the last two weeks,

and a big game against Wallace last weekend was a great chance to put

what we have worked on into practice.

We’re all very much looking forward to the challenge ahead and we be-

lieve that we can get the result we’re after if we work hard as a team.

I would also like to take this opportunity to mention Ross McCloskey

and Mark “Tommy Bowe” Armstrong. Ross and Mark have both been

big contributors to the team this season (Mark’s 3rd in a row), and both

have had unfortunate injuries which rule them out of contention for

this game. I would like to wish them all the best and a speedy recovery.

Also a huge thank you to anyone who has supported the team home and

away this season. The legion of parents who follow us to all corners of

Ulster, and the fellow pupils of BGS. Without you, this wouldn’t be as

special as it is for me as a coach or for the players. We want to hear you

all today!! Jason Morgan

JASON MORGAN BGS 1ST XV COACH

- 3 -

My first Schools’

Cup match was co-

incidentally two

years ago against

Dalriada here in

Ballymoney. On

that occasion, Ban-

gor Grammar were

unfortunately

beaten. A lot of

hard work

throughout this

season from the whole squad will hopefully

pay off and we can achieve a reversal of the

previous result.

We showed immense commitment and deter-

mination to gain a hard fought win against

Belfast High in the last round and our confi-

dence keeps growing as a team from week to

week. Our support from both parents, friends

and fellow pupils was much appreciated last

time and I expect an even larger and noisier

crowd at Dalriada. Finally, I would like to

wish Ross McCloskey a speedy recovery after

suffering a serious facial injury last week.

Jonny Gordon

EDITORIAL Simon Hull

A first Schools’ Cup win

in the first game of the

season sees Bangor

Grammar face Dalriada

School today in Bally-

money.

Dalriada themselves

have begun their cam-

paign with a draw

against Portora in round

2. They won the replay

at home by two points,

and then won their third

round tie at home with

Regent.

This will be a tough

game, but both teams

will be confident.

I would also like to take

this opportunity to thank

and congratulate the

Bangor fans for their

fantastic turn out at Bel-

fast High (I believe we

outnumbered their fans).

Make a racket today

guys, although keep si-

lent when either team

has a kick on goal and

hopefully the best team

will make it through to

the quarter finals.

Editor: Simon Hull

Reporter: Conor Patton

Columnists: Jason Morgan, Jonny

Gordon, Matthew Stockton

Pictures: Brian Mellon, Ken Best

Analyst: Paul Hancock

- 4 -

This time last year, Bangor

Grammar’s Schools’ Cup cam-

paign ended with a home defeat

to Belfast Royal Academy.

After beating Friends’ in the

third round, hopes were high for

a repeat victory against Belfast Royal Academy. However the list

of unavailable players was rather long in comparison with previ-

ous weeks. Jonny Gordon (tibia), Stuart McCloskey (ankle) and

Matthew Kennedy (suspension) were all out.

Conditions weren’t too bad at Ballymac, and BRA took the early

lead with two Jack Kane penalties. Daniel Kennedy was in charge

of kicking duties in the absence of McCloskey and scored three

points of his own shortly before half time.

After the break, things seemed to be going swimmingly when

Gareth Irvine gave Bangor the lead with a well worked try.

But, it was downhill after that as Belfast ramped up through the

gears in attack. They used the increasing wind and rain to their

advantage and scored two tries and

a penalty before the final whistle.

Winning the game 24-8, Belfast

then made it to the quarter finals,

but lost to Coleraine Inst. This year

saw no repeat of BRA’s form – they

were knocked out in the third round

by Rainey Endowed.

- 5 -

Ballymoney is a picturesque town in County Antrim. Deep in the

green fields of the far north, the town of over 9,000 claims to be

one of the oldest in Ireland.

Dalriada School itself educates some 800 pupils of both genders.

It prides itself on its Music, Drama, Debating, Politics and newly

formed Astronomical Societies (which is uniquely run by pupils).

Famous past pupils of Dalriada in-

clude former Newletter editor, Darwin

Templeton and broadcaster, Martyn

Lewis.

1st XV

Pitch

- 6 -

SCHOOL FACTS

SCHOOL NAME: Dalriada School

YEAR FOUNDED: 1878

MOTTO: Labor Sine Cura, Labor

Sine Fructu

(Work without pleasure is work without fruit)

PRINCIPAL: Mr T. Skelton

SCHOOLS’ CUP RECORD

WINS: 0

RUNNERS UP: 1 (1993)

LAST ROUND: 10-0 Victory at home to Regent House.

CAMPAIGN SO FAR

ROUND 2: Portora Royal 10—10 Dalriada School

ROUND 2 REPLAY: Dalriada School 20—18 Portora Royal

ROUND 3: Dalriada School 10—0 Regent House

ROUND 4: Dalriada School v Bangor Grammar

- 7 -

SCHOOL FACTS

SCHOOL NAME: Dalriada School

YEAR FOUNDED: 1878

MOTTO: Labor Sine Cura, Labor

Sine Fructu

(Work without pleasure is work without fruit)

PRINCIPAL: Mr T. Skelton

SCHOOLS’ CUP RECORD

WINS: 0

RUNNERS UP: 1 (1993)

LAST ROUND: 10-0 Victory at home to Regent House.

CAMPAIGN SO FAR

ROUND 2: Portora Royal 10—10 Dalriada School

ROUND 2 REPLAY: Dalriada School 20—18 Portora Royal

ROUND 3: Dalriada School 10—0 Regent House

ROUND 4: Dalriada School v Bangor Grammar

SCHOOL FACTS

Bangor Grammar School :SCHOOL NAME

1856 :YEAR FOUNDED

Justitiae Tenax :MOTTO

(Justice is tenacious)

Mr S. D. Connolly :PRINCIPAL

SCHOOLS’ CUP RECORD

5 (1969, 1978, 1985, 1986, 1988) :WINS

4 (1979, 1981, 1987, 1995) :RUNNERS UP

6-0 victory away to Belfast High School :LAST ROUND

2012 1st XV KEY PEOPLE

Mr J. Morgan; :COACH

Mr P. Hancock. :ASSISTANT COACH .

Jonathan Gordon :CAPTAIN

Phil Harper :VICE CAPTAIN Mr P. Hancock Assistant Coach

- 8 -

Like the Gryphiti

Facebook page

for video h’lights

and interviews.

(15)

- 9 -

Openside

SUBSTITUTES BENCH

- 10 -

BELFAST

HIGH

SCHOOL

BANGOR

GRAMMAR

SCHOOL

TEAM 1. R. KENNEDY 2. A. SHAW 3. J. LEARY 4. C. BURTON (MOTM) 5. R. WILSON 6. J. GORDON * 7. J. CAMPTON 8. M. MONTGOMERY 9. A. MELLON 10. D. KENNEDY 11. C. STRUTT 12. M. STOCKTON 13. M. HAMILTON 14. M. WEIR 15. P. HARPER

SUBSTITUTES 16. E. BOYLAN 17. C. BOAL 18. J. MAJURY 19. M. KYLE 20. M. WILSON 21. P. BRODERICK 22. R. McCLOSKEY 23. P. EVES * NO SUBS USED _________________

POINTS PENS: MELLON (x2) TRYS: NONE CONV: NONE DPGL: NONE _________________

INDISCIPLINE YELLOW: NONE RED: NONE Video highlights at: tinyurl.com/bgsrugby

POINTS PENS: NONE TRYS: NONE CONV: NONE DPGL: NONE

Bangor Grammar trav-

elled to Newtownabbey

for their first Schools’

Cup match of the season

against Belfast High

School.

The match was played

out in cold and muddy

conditions and neither

side had much of an ear-

ly advantage.

The deadlock wasn’t bro-

ken until 20 minutes in,

when Andrew Mellon

safely scored with his

second penalty of the

game (the first was sliced

short of the posts).

The score remained 3-0

in favour of the Gram-

marians until the second

half, with the break

seeming to disrupt the

flow of the game.

The tables turned early

in the second half, with

High having strong pos-

session but failing to

capitalise.

Another penalty came

BGS’s way some 42

minutes, and Mellon

again put it through

safely.

After this until the end,

BGS sat back defending

some relentless Belfast

pressure. However,

strong performances

from Craig Burton, Dan-

iel Kennedy and Phil

Harper dashed Belfast

High hopes by securing

the win. Final score 6-0

- 11 -

So who is the best Schools 1st XV in Ulster? This is a question which

may be answered each year by the Schools’ Cup final, but what if we

wanted to know the greatest team over the course of the season?

Each team plays games most weeks, some friendlies and others not,

against many teams throughout the province. Each result is then rated

an analysed by the Front Row Union (www.thefrontrowunion.com).

They then produce a league table of the best teams. It is updated each

week, and the latest iteration looks like this:

Pos School Win % Opp. Score SC? Change

1. Methodist College 100.0 0.596 0.977 IN

2. Royal School Armagh 93.8 0.512 0.856 IN

3. Campbell College 75.0 0.594 0.817 IN

4. Limavady Grammar 92.3 0.466 0.784 IN

5. Ballyclare High 86.7 0.477 0.777 IN

6. Ballymena Academy 76.5 0.530 0.764 IN

7. Wallace High 66.7 0.604 0.757 IN

8. R.B.A.I. 61.5 0.571 0.702 IN

9. Portadown College 73.3 0.422 0.597 OUT

10. Foyle & Londonderry 66.7 0.457 0.587 OUT

11. Down High 54.5 0.545 0.576 OUT

12. Regent House 53.3 0.523 0.553 OUT

13. Belfast Royal Academy 42.9 0.620 0.536 OUT

14. Sullivan Upper 42.9 0.579 0.514 OUT

15. Grosvenor Grammar 50.0 0.494 0.508 IN

16. Royal Dungannon 50.0 0.485 0.499 IN

17. Bangor Grammar 30.0 0.594 0.435 IN

18. Coleraine Inst. 29.4 0.568 0.420 IN

19. Rainey Endowed 35.7 0.560 0.390 IN

20. Dalriada 38.5 0.453 0.359 IN

- 12 -

PLAYER PROFILE … CRAIG BURTON

Name: Craig Burton

DOB: 30th Sept. 1993

Position: 2nd Row

Year: 14

Weight: 13 Stone

Height: 6’ 2”

Mr Hancock Says:

“Craig Burton is an example to

all young rugby players at BGS.

Throughout his junior years

Craig was not a regular starter

on A teams. In his last year at

BGS Craig has worked hard and

is now one of the first names put

down when selecting the team.

Craig is an intelligent player who

transfers what we do at training

into the match and it is this that

makes Craig such an honest and

valuable player. His work in the

lineout is invaluable and he has

made massive improvements in

his defence and ball carrying

ability.”

MR HANCOCK 1ST XV COACH

- 13 -

FIVE MINUTES WITH … PHIL HARPER

VIEW FROM

THE DRESSING

ROOM

After our win in the

pr ev io us r ound

against Belfast High

School (6-0), we are

confident moving

into our next match

vs. Dalriada. Howev-

er, we know that it

will be a tight match,

especially having a

fairly long journey

up to the pitches.

We have prepared

well so we should all

be in good physical

form leading into the

match. We are all

very excited about

this match with

there being a quarter

-final place at stake.

Last year our 1st XV

stumbled at the hur-

dle of the 4th round

but we, as a team,

are hoping to achieve

what hasn't been

done in years at Ban-

gor Grammar - Get-

ting to the Schools'

Cup Quarter-Final.

To see more of this

interview, go to the

official Gryphiti

Facebook page.

1. What do you hope

to learn from this

match?

“Saturday will be a test

of the team’s character

to see if we can handle

the pressure, but it’s a

very good opportunity

to prove ourselves in

front of a big crowd.”

2. How does the team

feel going into the

match?

“We’re very confident

that if we play to our

potential, we can win.

However, it will be a

tough match and we

know that the win

won’t be handed to us

on a plate.”

3. Why do you love

playing rugby?

“I love the team aspect

of rugby. You spend a

lot of time with team-

mates, some good and

some bad and it brings

us all very close

together.”

4. Finally, does it give

you satisfaction to

hear that BRA (who

knocked you out last

year) are already out

this time?

“It does, and it was a

bit of a shock. It shows

that anything can

happen in a cup

match.”

- 13 - Questions from

Conor Patton

- 14 -

BELFAST HIGH (0)

V

BANGOR GRAMMAR (6)

28th January 2012

KEN BEST PHOTOGRAPHER

- 15 -

SCHOOLS’ CUP RESULTS & FIXTURES

3rd Round Result s :

Belfast High 0 -6 Bangor Grammar 28/01/12

Down High 0 -3 Co lera ine A. I . 28 /01 /12

Foyle & Londonderry 0 -3 Banbridge Academy 28/01/12

Grosvenor Grammar 12-8 Sul l ivan Upper 28 /01 /12

Portadown 19-20 R. S . Dungannon 28/01/12

Dalr iada 10-0 Regent House School 28 /01 /12

Rainey Endowed School 11-8 Belfast Royal Ac. 28 /01 /12

Cambridge House P-P Well ington Col lege 01 /02/12

4 th Round Fixtures :

Ballyclare High v Royal School Armagh 11/02/12

Banbridge Academy v Cambridge/Wel l ing… 11 /02 /12

Campbel l Co l l ege v Grosvenor Grammar 11/02/12

Dalr iada v Bangor Grammar 11/02/12

Colera ine A.I. v Bal lymena Academy 11/02/12

Rainey Endowed School v Methodist Col lege 11 /02/12

R.B.A.I. v Royal S , Dungannon 11/02/12

Wallace High School v L imavady Grammar 11/02/12

Losing teams wi ll be t ransferred to the Subsidiary Shie ld competi tion.

Quarter Final matches to be p layed on the 25 th February.

2nd XV SCHOOLS’ CUP FIXTURES

2nd Round Fixtures

Belfast Royal Academy v Dromore High TBC

Regent House School v Grosvenor Grammar TBC

Portadown / R.S. Armagh v Methodist Col lege TBC

R.B.A.I. v Bangor Grammar TBC

Portora Royal School v Dalr iada School TBC

Campbel l / Rainey End… v Bal lymena Academy TBC

Limavady Grammar v Sul l ivan Upper TBC

Friends’ School v Bal lyclare High TBC

- 16 -

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ROSS KENNEDY

ANDREW SHAW

JAMES LEARY

CRAIG BURTON

RYAN WILSON

JONNY GORDON

JACK CAMPTON

MAX MONTGOMERY

PETER EVES

DANIEL KENNEDY

CAMERON STRUTT

MATTHEW STOCKTON

MATTHEW HAMILTON

MICHAEL WEIR

PHIL HARPER

SUBSTITUTES

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SUBSTITUTES

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ELLIOT BOYLAN

MATTHEW KYLE

CHRIS BOAL

JAMES MAJURY

ANDREW MELLON

CHRIS WALTON

PHIL BRODERICK

MATTHEW WILSON

DALRIADA

FOR DALRIADA

SCHOOL TEAM-

SHEET SEE

THEIR OFFICIAL

MATCH-DAY

PROGRAMME