Armagh III 0 Donaghadee II 10
The young Donaghadee 2nd XV made the trip to the Palace Grounds, Armagh on Saturday after a couple of close fought games in which they have been unfortunate not to come away with more reward. The Dee played their best rugby in the first half which they finished with a 3-0 lead thanks to a penalty from Mark Cooper who was playing his first game in six weeks following a troublesome ankle injury. The 2s maintained their superiority in the second half with flanker Gareth Martin being held up over the Armagh line following a driving maul. Soon afterwards a slick handling move resulted in Dee centre Andrew Mitchell crossing under the posts for a try with Cooper adding the extras. Although there was no more scoring the Dee continued with a solid defensive effort whilst threatening their opponents with a variety of cohesive forward and backs efforts. Sterling performances from quite a few of the Dee men but worthy of special mention are Cooper, Martin and Matthew Kane. A win on the road then for the 2s which will carry them into their last series of games of the season with no little optimism beginning this Wednesday evening when they welcome Grosvenor III to Donaldson park (ko 7:30pm).
Donaghadee III 45 Civil Service 3
The 3rd XV returned to winning ways last Saturday with a comfortable victory over neighbours Civil Service. With persistent unavailabilities and injuries now dissipating Mark Mitchell’s men were able to dominate their opponents and run out deserved victors on the day. The lads now hope that this trend will continue in the season run-in and the 3s can finish their season in style.
Night at the Races
A hugely successful night was held at La Mon Hotel and Country Club last Saturday night in aid of Club funds. Guests were treated to a montage of photographs and videos on big screens over dinner before the racing got underway. Afterwards the comedian Neil Dougan auctioned of various items including an Irish jersey signed by the winning Six Nations 2014 squad and a 2014 Lions jersey signed by the Ulster Lions before the evening concluded with a disco. A very significant sum of money was raised and the Club owes a great debt of gratitude to the main organisers Chris Good and Jonathan Martindale together with the rest of the Entertainment Committee who put in a huge amount of effort to ensure the evening was a success. Special thanks to all the sponsors, subscribers and guests who played no small part in a magnificent effort. Mention also needs to be made of the Bangor RFC players and their partners who attended the evening led by Club Captain Jamie Clegg and Ricky Armstrong – a true reminder of what the spirit of rugby is all about – many thanks guys and we hope to return the favour in the not too distant future.
This week
This Saturday brings the Powerade Towns Cup Semi-Final when the Dee travel to Ballymacarn Park to play Ballynahinch II in what should be a memorable tie. The Dee will be hoping they can reach Ravenhill for the second time in just over two years but know that the Hinch will provide a huge hurdle in their attempt to do so. The Hinch men have already triumphed over Ballyclare to win this season’s Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup in December and remain unbeaten in competitive matches in 2013/14. As ever the Dee rely on their magnificent support and it is hoped that we can re-create the numbers who attended the Junior Cup Final victory in 2011 – kick-off 2:30pm. With a midweek game against Grosvenor III this Wednesday night the 2nd XV are free on Saturday but the 3rd XV have a league game away to PSNI II – again kick-off 2:30pm.
