It was a fine afternoon at Kerr Park when Holywood 3rd XV opened their campaign against Donaghadee 3rd XV. With a selection of old and new faces, the squad was ready to stretch their legs, put in some hits and impress the new coach. It was an energetic start to the first half with three quick tries within the first twenty minutes. Amongst the try scorers was Paul Foster, who was returning from a two year injury layoff. With his quick feet and even quicker thinking he managed to dart blind side from the ruck and burst through the goal line defence. A further two tries were scored before half time bringing the score to 27 – 0 to Holywood. The second half was more of the same from The Wood as they looked to take advantage of the fatigued opposition. Great ball handling, accurate kicks and the willingness to exploit the good conditions resulted in a further six tries being scored with Robert Cooper making five successful conversions. One of the last plays of the game was an intercept made by Bobby Harpur who scored a consolation try for The Dee. Overall it was a great result for the first game and the team know what needs to be worked on for future matches to come. Final score 67 – 5 to Holywood.
