The Dee fell to an unexpectedly strong Belfast Harlequins II side in the second round of the Millar MCall Wylie Junior Cup. The importance that the Harlequins Club attached to this game was indicated by the presence of their Head Coach Adam Larkin – who was orchestrating proceedings at Donaldson Park whilst his 1st XV were playing in an Ulster Senior league game in Dungannon!?!? The Dee started well putting their opponents under some pressure and taking the lead through a Mark Cooper penalty kicked from the 10 metre line before a clever kick ahead by Billy Allen was followed up by his fleet footed ring wing Ryan Irvine who beat the Quins full back to the touchdown. The worrying thing about the Dee’s form at the moment is the middle forty minutes of the game and, once again, the Donaldson Park side went very much off the boil in this period of the game. By half time Quins had pulled back to 8-7 through a converted Kenny McCombe try .

In the second half the Quins pack began to dominate the game and they stretched to a 13-8 lead after two of the plethora of penalties awarded in their favour were converted. The Dee returned to the fray in the last twenty but, as is often the case in these circumstances, were undone by playing “catch-up” rugby and Quins scored two further tries which left them running out winners by a somewhat flattering 25-8 scoreline.
The Dee will have better days but good to see former Dee man Kenny McCombe back in his old hunting ground and interesting to note that he remained long into the evening enjoying the craic with his former teammates.