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When We Won the Cup
1986 - by Jason Bennett
Heading into the 1986 season, we knew we had an excellent team and were in with a good chance of winning the cup.
A lot of the team had been in the squad the previous year when we also won the cup. At that time, probably the same as now, there were always the same Schools that had good teams: Methody, Inst., Ballymena and Campbell. We knew they’d be our biggest rivals. The success of previous teams didn’t bother us as a lot of us had been on the team the year before.
There were a number of very good players on the team. Mark McCall was excellent and in his game controlling position as outhalf was outstanding. His best attribute, in my opinion, was his “vision” and ability to read the game and make decisions. McCall was our captain and personally I thought he’d become an Ulster player.
Honestly, the forwards in our pack weren’t great. We often struggled to get the ball, especially against better schools. When it got to us backs that was where we dominated. But without their hard work, we’d never have won any games.
Bangor Grammar pupils filling the Ravenhill main stand
Kenny Woods offloads the ball in the final
In the early rounds we made good progress, stuffing all the teams on the way. We usually scored at least eight tries.
For me, playing at Ravenhill was a dream come true. The pitch was super and to have such a big crowd watching was amazing. I’d never seen so many schoolgirls at a rugby match!
We went in to the match itself as favourites. We had narrowly beaten Campbell College in the semi. Before that match, everyone had said that whoever would win, would go on to win the final. Also, from recollection, we’d already beaten R.B.A.I. quite comfortably earlier in the season.
On the day, we played reasonably well, enough to win comfortably, but we could have been better. A few weeks later we played the Ulster Schools’ side at Upritchard Park. This was the last match for the school for many of us and we beat them 24-0. That was a much better performance than the Schools’ Cup final.
Of my own performance, I must have been good enough to retain my place in the team. I believe that the guys on the Bangor Grammar School 2nd XV that year would have made it onto nearly any other team’s firsts.
We felt on top of the world when celebrating and showing off the cup at Ravenhill. The partying continued back
at Bangor Rugby Club. It was an excellent
night, but my memory after about 9pm is quite scant.
Following that day, the reaction at the school was great. I think everybody at the school was proud of the achievement, winning the cup two years in a row.
The team gather to celebrate with the iconic trophy
Victorious Team: 01 Willie Johnston, 02 Darryl Flanagan, 03 Mike Davis, 04 Roger Brown, 05 Glenn Lindsay, 06 Sean Crowther, 07 Keith Esdale, 08 David Cooke, 09 Kenny Woods, 10 Mark McCall (C), 11 Rodney Blackmore, 12 Brian Wickens, 13 Gavin Ellis, 14 Jason Bennett, 15 Chris Jackson
When We Won the Cup
1988 - by Roger Sexton
With such an impressive record in the preceding years, it is perhaps not surprising that the start of the ’88 Schools’ Cup campaign began with the usual mixture of high hopes, expectation and confidence despite some patchy performances earlier in the year.
With myself and seven other players surviving the team who had been narrowly beaten in the previous year’s final, there was an added resolve and determination to bring the cup back home.
After a bye in the first round, we comprehensively beat local rivals Sullivan 32-5, scoring a hatful of tries in the process. Next came a hard fought 9-3 win away to Campbell College which was particularly pleasing since they had been one of the early season defeats. This set up yet another semi-final trip to Ravenhill where we met Omagh Academy in a repeat of the ’85 final. Although we were the stronger team and dominated possession throughout, it took two late tries to secure the 17-4 victory, resulting in a fourth successive final.
Stephen Mann touches down with a decisive try
To play in the St. Patrick’s Day Schools’ Cup Final has to be the most memorable achievement for any rugby playing schoolboy. And so on the 17th March 1988, I was fortunate enough to play in my second final against Coleraine A.I.
The noise created by both sets of supporters as the teams took to the pitch was deafening. And yet there were no signs of nerves, rather an air of calmness, confidence and determination that we wouldn’t lose this one.
Straight from the kick-off, Coleraine were under pressure and conceded an early penalty that was converted by out-half Simon McKenna. In the tenth minute, Richard Wilson tapped down lineout ball near the Coleraine line that was gathered by hooker Neal Taylor who dived over for the first try of the afternoon, giving Bangor a 7-0 lead.
Towards the end of the first half, excellent pressure from flankers Sean Crowther (Captain) & James Hanna on the Coleraine out-half forced him to concede a 5-meter scrum. The resulting ball was flashed along the backs to outside centre Stephen Mann who glided through the Coleraine backs to score the second, and decisive try that was converted by McKenna to make the score 13-0 at half-time.
Coleraine came out with renewed vigour in the second half, but missed a number of kickable penalties and despite some bouts of sustained pressure and possession, never really looked like scoring as Bangor’s defence was always up to the task.
Through the afternoon, the Bangor pack outscrummaged the heavier Coleraine pack
with the front row of Chris Kerr, Taylor & Jonathan Mawhinney dominating their counterparts. It was ironic then that Coleraine should eventually score a try following a scrum in the 55th minute. All this seemed to do was spur the Bangor team into action once again. For the rest of the half, BGS looked more likely to score and the remainder of the game followed a pattern of astute Bangor attack and desperate Coleraine defence and counterattack as they tried to chase the game.
BGS ran out comfortable 13-4 winners. The final whistle was a welcome sound for both BGS players and spectators and heralded the usual pitch invasion. The subsequent celebrations are a bit of a blur but the events of that day have been and always will be one of my fondest memories.
The winning team celebrate with a stuffed bear
Victorious Team: 01 Jonathan Mawhinney, 02 Neil Taylor, 03 Chris Kerr, 04 Garth Beattie, 05 Richard Wilson, 06 James Hanna, 07 Sean Crowther (C), 08 Ian Cook, 09 Robert Scott, 10 Simon McKenna, 11 Gareth Anderson, 12 Mark Ellesmere, 13 Stephen Mann, 14 Roger Sexton, 15 Nicky Young