Midweek misery in Bangor
Portadown suffered a midweek Towns' Cup exit on Tuesday away to Bangor. Pic by Roger Corbett.INPT02-165 PTRUGBY13
PORTADOWN suffered a midweek Towns’ Cup defeat by 21-12 on Tuesday in the rearranged first-round clash away to Bangor.
Bangor gained early ground and placed Portadown under pressure with a strong kick by Ricky Armstrong - the son of a former Portadown coach, Ashley Armstrong - leading to a try despite appeals of an infringement during the build-up play.
Portadown struggled to settle and Bangor moved 10-0 up on five minutes courtesy of a drop goal.
Unforced errors and poor decision-making prevented Portadown from closing the gap in the face of productive Bangor kicking.
A penalty and yellow card following Diarmaid O’Kane’s challenge allowed Bangor to make it 13-0 ahead of a positive response by the 14-strong visitors.
Portadown continued to suffer in the second half as a result of errors and turnover but increased the attacking threat.
Bangor added extra points for a lead of 18-0 before Portadown managed to get off the mark.
Willie Graham, Darren Pepper and Stuart Lamb tested Bangor ahead of Lee McClure’s determined drive under pressure.
Chris Cousens recorded the conversion and, soon after, raced clear before releasing Luke Creaney for a second try.
A late penalty allowed Bangor to move on from the under-threat lead of 18-12 to 21-12 at the close of play.
NICK Durrans’ try offered little consolation to Portadown seconds in the defeat by Grosvenor at Chambers Park.
Grosvenor cemented a position at the head of the league standings with a strong performance despite Portadown’s spirited display.
The hosts suffered a significant blow when Dean Hardy - the Portadown captain - had to retire from action due to injury on an afternoon to forget.
Hardy’s departure proved the start of Portadown’s downfall on the day.
PORTADOWN thirds were prevented from a well-earned home win against Dromore on Saturday when Colin Lawson’s last-gasp kick bounced off the frame.
A positive start allowed Portadown to gain control, with Lawson instrumental.
However, an error left Portadown trailing by 3-0 from a penalty before a try pushed the gap to 8-0.
Portadown battled back and managed to close the gap courtesy of Lawson’s penalty success on two occasions in quick succession.
Ross Davis, Andrew Richardson and Gareth Durrans enjoyed encouraging line breaks across the second half - with the latter’s try eventually putting Portadown out in front.
Dromore bounced back to move 18-13 up before Portadown levelled and, ultimately, narrowly missed out on victory overall.
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Weather for Portadown
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
