Danske Bank High Schools' U16 Trophy Final | Limavady High School 17-13 Bangor Academy

Harry Smyth's stunning last- minute try saw Limavady High School lift the trophy in a thrilling final against Bangor Academy at Kingspan Stadium.

The final got off to a very fast-paced start from both sides.

Brandon Cole threatened early on to run clear on the left wing, however a superb recovery tackle stopped the winger in his tracks.

Limavady put the first points on the board, with scrum-half, Arthur Hylands, converting an early penalty for 3-0.

Bangor then pressed forward and grabbed the first try of the final. A well-worked attack into the Limavady 22 and number eight, Vlad Grebov, ran a clever line and darted through a gap to finish.

Thomas Rice converted for a 3-7 lead.

The lively winger, Jaxon Morrow, was a threat for Bangor with his speed down the left wing and his break into the 22 almost resulted in a second try for Bangor, however Limavady showed great defence to hold up Bangor's try attempt.

Rice then extended Bangor's lead to 3-10 when he took another penalty.

Bangor took the lead into half-time.

HT: 3-10

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The second half started off a very tight affair, with both defences standing strong against some strong attacks.

Both wingers, Morrow and Cole went close but were stopped by some aggressive defending, with Morrow banged into touch by Harry Smyth and Cole tackled close to the Bangor tryline and forcing a knock-on.

Limavady got the score they needed after the dangerous winger, Brandon Cole, was found on the left wing and he produced the important finish.

Hylands struck a wonderful conversion to level the scoreline at 10-10.

Bangor had an opportunity to win the game themselves with only a couple of minutes left.

An attack into the Limavady got them close but the play was pulled back for a penalty. Bangor opted to kick for the points and Bnagor full-back, Thomas Rice, executed a pressure penalty to put the trophy into Bangor's hands at 10-13 with time running out.

Limavady regrouped and plotted their route to victory.

With the seconds ticking for Limavady, it needed a moment of brilliance to take home the trophy.

Scrum-half, Hylands, had shown his ability minutes before with a pressure conversion from the touchline and he showed his vision and execution, with a cross-field kick into the Bangor 22.

The ball bounced perfectly into the onrushing full-back, Harry Smyth, who showed great determination and he gathered the bouncing ball to finish.

Hylands' conversion brought the final whistle to a dramatic final, with Limavady rewarded for hanging in and not giving up despite being behind for most of the contest.

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Smyth with the match-winning try.

Player of the match - Arthur Hylands

The lively scrum-half was a standout player for his side, with quick ball from rucks and an excellent kicking game. His cross-field kick in injury time was measured to perfection for Smyth and won them the final.

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Teams

Limavady High School:

15\. Harry Smyth, 14. Jacob McArthur, 13. Curtis McIlmoyle, 12. Zac Maguire (Capt), 11. Brandon Cole, 10. Isaac Cole, 9. Arthur Hylands, 8. Ross Carmichael, 7. David McCurry, 6. Reuben McCurry, 5. Matthew McMaster, 4. Luca Porter, 3. MJ Reilly 2. Alan Pearson, 1. Marc Marten

Replacements:

16\. Danny Colhoun, 17. Otis Irwin, 18. Nathan Carlisle, 19. Cameron Lindsay, 20. Tom Wilson, 21. Oliver Millar

Bangor Academy:

15\. Thomas Rice, 14. Oran Canning, 13. Scott McLelland, 12. Riley Morgan, 11. Jaxon Morrow, 10. Jamie Armstrong (Capt), 9. Isaac Gourley, 8. Vlad Grebov, 7. Blake Field, 6. Jamie Frazer, 5. Matthew Blayney, 4. Kori Stoops, 3. Josh Brown, 2. Will Fisher, 1. David Henning

Replacements:

16\. Isaac Dunne, 17. Jacob Barrett, 18. Felix Fell, 19. Jayden Johnston, 20. Reece Savage, 21. Ruairi Mason, 22. Tadgh Hynes, 23. Alex Savage.

Scorers:

Limavady High School:

TRY: Cole, Smyth

PEN: Hylands

CON: Hylands x2

Bangor Academy:

TRY: Grebov

CON: Rice

PEN: Rice x2