1st XV
Matches
Sat 02 Apr 2022
Academy
15
17
Donaghadee Rugby Club
1st XV
Narrow win at Roughfort

Narrow win at Roughfort

Jim Lyttle3 Apr 2022 - 12:56
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Dee’s hard work pays off at Academy

Match report by Geoff Ingham

Donaghadee travelled to Roughfort on Saturday to take on Academy in their penultimate league fixture of the season knowing that a win would almost guarantee a play-off place. As usual, there were a few changes on the teamsheet with Jamie Wilson coming in at prop, Garry Smith in the second row and young Bryn McCartney making his debut for the 1st XV in the back row. The only change in the backline saw Adam Alexander return in the centre whilst Max Weiniger joined Dylan Robinson on the bench. For the fourth match in a row the game was played in brilliant sunshine so the twenty five or so travelling Dee support were looking forward to an exciting contest. Academy saw most of the ball in the first few minutes, immediately testing the Dee’s defensive systems. However, when Dee did have possession they looked threatening. On the 10 minute mark a typical strong run from Karl Yellop saw him stopped just short of the line with Academy conceding a penalty at the ensuing ruck. Paul Hamilton tapped and made ground before Ali Lockhart picked up and drove over the line for the opening try. Mark Cooper was successful with the conversion to give the Dee a 7-0 lead. Academy enjoyed the most of possession and territory for the rest of the half with their dominance at scrum time giving them an excellent platform to launch their attacks. It was only Dee’s impressive defence that kept them at bay, typified by Byrn McCartney, who somehow managed to stop the Academy No 8 from touching down when a score looked certain. The pressure, however, eventually paid off when Academy scored under the posts after several forward drives. The successful conversion levelled the scores. Academy were reduced to 14 men when their winger was sinbinned for taking the Dee winger out in the air but this did not deter them as they took the lead in the final play of the half when another powerful scrum allowed the No 8 to touch down for an unconverted try in the left-hand corner.

Dee started the second half strongly, taking advantage of the numerical advantage and soon found themselves in the opposition 22. As in the first half they chose to run a penalty and after several phases Paul Hamilton crashed over to score. The conversion fell just short to leave the scores level at 12 -12. Shortly afterwards the Dee were punished for ill-discipline when the referee reversed a penalty inside the Dee 22 and the Academy kicker calmly slotted over the kick to give them a 3 point lead. This spurred the Dee into action and for the next twenty minutes played their best rugby. Strong running by Ray Dobson, Jamie Wilson, Robbie Grant and Garry Smith caused lots of problems for the Academy defence and some clever box kicking by Ali Lockhart, including an impressive 50 -22, kept the pressure on Academy. On the hour the Dee scored their third try when Ali Lockhart wriggled over after several good phases of play. Cooper missed the difficult conversion leaving the Dee with a slender 17-15 lead. The last quarter of the game was a tense affair with Dee looking for their bonus point try and Academy trying to regain the lead. Another Academy player went to the bin when he deliberately knocked the ball into touch after good interplay between Adam Alexander and Robbie Ingham. Although the Dee spent most of the quarter in the Academy half they were not able to find the fourth try as Academy used their dominant scrum to help them clear their lines. As the game drew to a close Academy had one last chance when the Dee were penalised just inside their own half. As the crowd held its breath they watched the penalty attempt strike the upright and rebound into Ben Beattie’s arms who then kicked the ball dead to give the Dee a narrow 17-15 win.

This was a good team effort form the Dee, with the defence magnificent throughout the game, with Sam Ingham and Bryn McCartney leading the tackle count. Man of the match contenders included Chris Hamilton, who had one of his best games of the season, and Paul Hamilton, who was immense all afternoon in defence and attack. However, for the second week in a row the award goes to the inspirational Ali Lockhart who had yet another excellent performance.

Next week the Dee make the short journey to Hamilton Park to take on Ards in a much-anticipated local derby, Kick off 2.30pm.

Match details

Match date

Sat 02 Apr 2022

Kickoff

14:30
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Reid & Black Solicitors
Club Sponsor - BWT (NI) Limited
Board  - Stairlift Solutions