Banbridge Academy U17s win Gary Clarke Memorial Cup

Following a morning of heavy rain the annual tournament kicked off in mild conditions with a dramatic red sunset as a back-drop. The event, in its fourth year, welcomed back the best local talent from Banbridge Academy, Lurgan College, Friends School and Portadown College.

The tournament was played in a ‘round-robin’ format, with games of 15 minutes each. First up were Lurgan College and Banbridge Academy and a fast pace was set by both teams as a crowd of spectators gathered to cheer them on. Banbridge scored twice to win 10–0 with tries coming from Hugo Harbinson and Michael Ross.

The second fixture was a tighter affair with Friends and Portadown drawing 5–5.

In a re-run of last year’s final the Academy then played Friends, and the Lisburn boys extended their recent run of form to win 12-5. Lurgan College then lost to their Portadown rivals by a similar margin.

Next up Lurgan College held Friends to a draw when Greg Lyness, playing at scrum-half, broke from the halfway line to score the try of the tournament. Even Isaac Boss, watching on from the sidelines, had to clap the number nine home despite his allegiance to the Friends team.

Sitting on three points after a win and a draw Portadown only needed a draw against Banbridge Academy to reach the final while Banbridge needed to win the game. It was a tight game but the Academy boys engineered a late try to claim a place in the final for the fourth successive year.

Friends School claimed the other spot and went into the final as favourites after their win over the Academy in the group. However Banbridge had other ideas and were keen to engrave their name on the silverware for the fourth time.

The game was a tense affair and the first half ended scoreless. After the break a well worked try from Academy scrumhalf Hugo Harbinson was enough to return the cup to Banbridge. The Academy boys deserved their victory as they worked hard in the second half against older and more experienced opponents.

During the presentations Lurgan’s Youth Convenor, Andrew Davis, paid tribute to the players and their coaches for the performances on the night.

Finally the Gary Clarke Memorial Cup was presented to Banbridge Academy captain Kallan Martin by Richard Clarke, son of Lurgan RFC stalwart Gary after whom the trophy is named.