Donaghadee travelled to Ballymacarn Park hoping for a repeat of last season’s victory at this stage of the competition but knowing as Ballynahinch 1st XV had no game the home side would have a full squad to pick from including the five bench players whom otherwise would have been included in the 1st XV squad. Nevertheless confidence was high that the Dee could pull off another surprise.
The Dee started well and pressed the Hinch line but stout home defence turned the ball over and so began an extended period of Hinch pressure in the Dee half. The well drilled Hinch side attacked from all angles but some outstanding defence from the Dee back row of Chris Hamilton, Stephen Adams and Matthew Stockton kept them out until, on ten minutes, the home side finally worked the extra man to allow Josh Donaldson to score in the corner. With the extras added Ballynahinch once again attacked the Dee utilising their excellent line-out to great effect and but were denied time and again by a disciplined Dee defence led by Alastair Lockhart and the pin-point line kicking of Paul Blewitt. Approaching the end of the first period the Dee broke out of defence and so started a sustained period of attack from the away side with Jack Cooke, Matthew Kane, Chris Good and the back row all combining to press their much vaunted counterparts up front and allowed Andy Findlater to find narrow gaps in their defence. The Hinch defence held firm however until Richard Martindale won a penalty on the floor and Paul McKenzie fired the ensuing kick to the corner five metres out from the opposition line. In what was to prove a key moment however the line-out was lost and Hinch No. 10 McBriar kicked to safety leaving the half-time score 7-0 in favour of Ballynahinch.

Donaghadee once again started the second half brightly but were undone by a snap breakout from the Hinch who moved the ball expertly through forwards and backs to allow Aaron Ferris to score and give them a 12-0 lead with the conversion missed. The Dee remained well in the game and were pressing via mixing an expansive game, with kick-chase initiated by Mark Cooper and again expert line-kicking from Blewitt. Unfortunately the Dee line-out was not at its best and the Hinch were picking off the key Dee efforts. Dee wings Tommy Slane and particularly Ryan Irvine were finding a few half-gaps in the home defence but ultimately the Hinch defence remained firm and they broke out from their twenty-two to win a five metre scrum from which the picked up and scored through Chris Napier after a quick ruck on the line leaving the score 17-0 in their favour.

Ballynahinch were themselves using the kick-chase game to good effect but Cooper and Irvine combined to run one such kick back into the home defence and link with forwards Good, Martindale, Cooke and Hamilton who all carried towards the Hinch line. Eventually the Dee composure up front told it’s tale and quck ball was moved to McKenzie who threw a long miss-pass off his left hand to Irvine who evaded his opposite number to score in the corner . The conversion was narrowly missed and the Dee now brought on Paul Hamilton and Ian Martindale in an effort to claw back the deficit in the last quarter. Hamilton certainly added his abrasive presence up front and again the Dee pressed with Lockhart, Irvine, Findlater and McKenzie prominent aided by the evergreen Gareth Gordon spoiling the Hinch efforts in ruck and maul. As is often the case in playing catch-up rugby Donaghadee eventually spilled the ball in midfield and McBriar kicked a speculative ball to the right wing where an unfortunate bounce jumped straight into the hands of the chasing Ferris who ran unopposed to the try-line to leave the final score 22-5 in favour of the Ballymacarn Park men.

A hugely disappointing result for Donaghadee then but the side will hold their heads high knowing that once again they competed at the highest level of Junior rugby in the province but were undone by a talented and experienced Ballynahinch side. Some standout performances the Dee men but special mention is reserved for right-wing Ryan Irvine who maybe is the most improved player on the 1st XV this season and whose work in attack, and especially defence, was nothing short of exemplary.