The Dee’s lineup was similar to their last except for welcoming back Chris Hamilton in the back row and Peter Causby on the wing. Adam Russell and Leo Gray were joined on the bench by Phil Eadie who was making a return to the game after several years away.

The Dee kicked off with the strong breeze at their backs and had most of the possession for the first ten minutes and created several chances but unfortunately were not able to make them count. Phil Eadie made an early entrance to the match when Dylan Robinson had to leave the field with a recurring shoulder injury.

Strabane always looked dangerous in attack and took the lead on the fifteen-minute mark with a converted try after some slick handling and a couple of missed tackles by the Dee. Dee were benefitting from a strong scrum and were awarded several penalties close to the Strabane line. As they attempted to run the ball Strabane intercepted and their South African fullback ran the length of the pitch to touch down and double the lead.

Ten minutes later he scored again, outpacing the Dee’s defence to score an unconverted try out wide. Just before the break the home team got their bonus point when they scored their best try of the day with a move involving several players and some impressive offloading to leave the half time score 26-0.

After some harsh words from the coaches the Dee were visibly more motivated in the second half and began to put together some good phases of play. Working themselves up the field it was Matthew Stockton who eventually forced his way over from a ruck close to the Strabane line. This score gave the Dee some belief and for the next twenty minutes they continued to push for another score but the strong Strabane defence held firm.

As the game entered the final quarter Strabane scored three tries in quick succession, Firstly, the South African fullback jinked and sidestepped his way to score his hat-trick and then his fellow countryman, the No 8, gathered a Dee kick and galloped forty yards to touch down. Finally, it was their flanker who finished off a move to score their final try. To the Dee’s credit they continued to put in the effort and in the final minute of the game they were rewarded when Nathan Boyd crashed over after a strong drive by Owen Roberts to leave the final score 47-10 to Strabane.

Although Strabane fully deserved the win the final score slightly flattered them. There was no doubting the effort but by being a bit more clinical in attack and fewer missed tackles the score would have been much closer.

Next week the Dee welcome Civil Service to Donaldson Park, 2.30 K.O.