PRE-SEASON QUALIFYING FRIENDLY ENDS IN RARE DEFEAT
The Dee 1st XV arrived at Carrick carrying a few niggles from their very creditable performance against Queens three days earlier but also missing a few personnel due to a combination of injury, unavailability and illness. In a game of four 20 minute quarters the Dee started well enough playing down the hill on Carrick’s second pitch with the elements in their favour. A well taken converted try was executed by the men in red and green in the first half but more worryingly the Dee were finding great difficulty in regularly penetrating a really stubborn Carrick defence. The sides turned around for the second two quarters with Donaghadee leading 7-0 but Carrick pulled this back to 7-5 with the last play of the third quarter. By this stage the Dee had lost skipper Ally Lockhart to a minor strain and Stephen Adams to a head injury. The loss of the influential Lockhart did the Dee’s cause no help whatsoever but it was the loss of Adams which was the key given that he had been the stand-out forward on the pitch all afternoon. Carrick sensed blood in the air and proceeded to scored further tries in the fourth quarter – one of which was brilliantly executed but the others due to unusually weak Dee defence leaving the final score 27-10 in the Co. Antrim sides favour. The unfamiliarity with each other of the Dee fifteen left on the pitch in the final quarter certainly played its part in their downfall together with weariness from playing two games in such a short space of time but the coaches will certainly be concentrating on a number of areas during the course of the week before the first Q1 game against CIYMS this incoming Saturday. Aside from those mentioned above Jack Cooke & Chris Good put in a creditable afternoons work together with the multi-positional Matthew Stockton. Also very pleasing to see David Keys, Conor Fulton and Thomas Slane back in the fold after returning from University together with a plethora of youngsters eager to make their mark. A very rare but thoroughly deserved win for Carrick against the Dee and we wish them every success in their league campaign in Q2 this season. The Dee, on the other hand, now know where their early pre-season issues lie and will be working hard on Tuesday & Thursday night to address these weaknesses.
ENCOURAGING PERFORMANCE AT DUB LANE
The previous Wednesday evening Donaghadee 1st XV opened their season with a training game against a strong Queens side at The Dub. In a game of four quarters the Dee were 10-0 up at the end of Q1, 10-7 up end of Q2, 14-10 end of Q3 finishing 28-10 down on full time. Missing quite a few regulars due to early season knocks and unavailability Head Coach Paul McKenzie took the opportunity of blooding a number of new recruits resulting in one of the youngest sides to turn out for the Dee in quite some years. Some great performances from both the more experienced guys on the field and the youngsters alike and Queens were maybe slightly flattered by two late scores taken when the Dee had a couple of players down injured on the field of play. The difference in the two sides probably proved to be the line out where Queens dominated for much of the game but it was evident that there is much there for the squad to build upon.
SECONDS HOLD BELFAST HARLEQUINS
Friday evening last saw new 2nd XV Captain Stephen Cullen and his young side welcome Belfast Harlequins III for the first game of the season at Donaldson Park. With a squad of twenty two players being held back for the 1st XV game against Carrick the next afternoon the 2nd XV put in a very creditable performance against their much more experienced opponents. With the result of the game in doubt until the close the game finished 14-14 which will have encouraged skipper Cullen and coach John West for the competitive season which lies ahead.
THIS SATURDAY
The Kukri Qualifying One season opens on Saturday when Donaghadee welcome CIYMS to Donaldson Park. Meetings between the two clubs have produced some great games in recent seasons and hopes are high that the first competitive fixture of the season will be no different – kick off 2:30pm.
PRE-MATCH LUNCHES
Just a reminder that a Pre-Match Lunch will be held prior to each home Kukri Qualifying One game this incoming season. Food will once again be provided by Bow Belles this season and will cost £10 for a superb two course lunch. Festivities will normally start around 1pm and if you would like to go to any of these occasions please contact Ian Fleming by the Wednesday evening prior to the game.
FIXTURE LIST
The Donaghadee RFC Fixture List for 2014/15 is now available for download from the Club Website and there will be a small number of black & white copies available in the Clubhouse on Saturday coming.
