Dee lose out in the play-offs

Donaghadee travelled to Limavady on Saturday for a Division 2 Play-off semi-final. They went there in hope rather than expectation as the table topping Limavady had remained undefeated during their league campaign. With the rather attritional local derby only the week before the Dee were without the influential trio of Ray Dobson, Sam Ingham and Karl Yellop. The ever-green Davy Skipp and Chris Hamilton came into the forward pack and young Jody Newell started on the wing in his debut for the 1st XV. Limavady started strongly and after 5 minutes looked like taking the lead but were denied by an excellent try saving tackle by Robbie Ingham on his opposite number. Five minutes later Limavady ‘s pressure paid off when their No. 8 crashed over to score between the posts to give the kicker the easiest of conversions. Almost immediately Limavady doubled their lead when the flanker ran through to score after some slick handling by the backline. The Dee eventually got their hands on the ball and were able to cause problems for the opposition with some strong running by Paul Hamilton and Callum Montgomery. However, it was Limavady who scored next after their powerful centre broke through the midfield and sent the supporting player in for a try. The conversion was missed to leave the score at 19-0 in Limavady’s favour. The Dee fought back again, spurred on by the determined Ali Lockhart, and Mark Cooper produced an excellent 50-22 on the half hour mark to take play close to the Limavady line. From the resultant line out Davy Skipp was stopped just short of the line but the next phase saw the ball being spun wide to debutant Newell, who forced his way over in the corner to get the Dee on the scoresheet. The Dee defended bravely for the rest of the half with back row men McCartney and Grant putting in some excellent tackles and Chris Hamilton winning a couple of crucial turnovers. However, with a couple of minutes remaining of the half Limavady managed a fourth try to leave the half time score 26-5.

It was the Dee who started the second half stronger and enjoyed both possession and territory for the first 10 minutes. This culminated in a well worked try when Ben Beattie crossed the line after several good phases of build-up play. The conversion was missed to leave the score at 26-10. Limavady regained their supremacy in the last half hour of the match and manged to score another three tries. The Dee, however, never gave up and at times showed glimpses of what they are capable of, asking questions of Limavady’s defence on several occasions. Every player, including replacements Dylan Robinson and Max Weiniger, tackled their hearts out right up to when the referee blew for full time with the score at 43-10.

It has been a successful season for the 1st XV, finishing fourth in an extremely competitive league. The Coaching team, led by Paul Blewitt, have done an excellent job, considering their challenges with injuries and unavailability. It is also encouraging to see the number of young players who have grasped the opportunity to perform at 1st XV level, which must auger well for the future of the club. The 2nd XV have a league game at Donaldson Park next Saturday 23rd. Please see our social media channels for details of our Open Weekend, 28th April – 1st May.