Donaghadee opened their 2022/23 Championship 2 league campaign with a home game against old adversaries and friends Larne RFC at a sun-drenched Donaldson Park. Selection wise this season started as last season finished with injuries denying the side a number of key personnel including out-half Mark Cooper and centre Paul Johnston. On the upside Head Coach Paul Blewitt gave a competitive debut to Adam Whiteside at No. 10 and Danny McBride returned to the wing after 18 months on the sideline with a serious knee injury.

The home side started strongly playing towards the town end and after six minutes were awarded a penalty when a Larne player failed to support his own weight whilst attempting a jackal and McBride calmy stroked the ball between the uprights to open the scoring. The Dee continued to press but were denied by a strong and well organised Larne defence. On nineteen minutes Larne broke out of their defensive mode and from a lineout on their own 10 metre line fashioned a well-constructed attack through midfield and support was on hand to score a converted try to the right of the posts. First quarter played and Larne were now in the lead by 7-3. Two minutes later however a lineout on halfway was secured by Jack Chesney who was supported by a rampaging Ray Dobson carrying play to the Larne 22. Good ruck ball was produced, and half backs Alastair Lockhart & Whiteside set their three quarters moving. The ball reached left wing McBride who chipped the oncoming Larne defence into the goal line area. Whilst the bounce of the ball eluded the chasing McBride, Adam Alexander and Ben Beatty the supporting Zak Moraghan was on hand to pounce and secure the unconverted touchdown in the left-hand corner. Two minutes later Larne missed the opportunity to overcome the one-point deficit when a difficult penalty kick on the Dee ten-metre line was missed. After another ten minutes play the Dee were awarded a penalty and a Larne player was sin binned so Whiteside took the opportunity to kick for the lineout ten metres from the opposition. The ball was secured, and hooker Paul Hamilton drove for the line. Although repelled Hamilton had made good ground – scrum-half Lockhart feinted to open the ball but sniped blind and despite the attention of the Larne pack managed to spin and roll his way over for another unconverted try. Four minutes later however disaster struck the Dee when Dobson was adjudged to have executed a high tackle on his opposite number and was shown a red card. To their credit the Dee picked themselves up from the loss of the talismanic prop and Assistant Coach and two minutes into injury time McBride kicked a penalty to leave the Dee 16-7 up at halftime.

The Dee support on the sideline were encouraged by the Dee lead at halftime but were concerned by the fact that the home side would have to play the rest of the game with only fourteen men. As the second half began those fears were confirmed as Larne seemed buoyed by their opponent’s misfortune and soon pressed for the line. On their third foray into the Dee 22 ball was transferred quickly from one side of the pitch to the other and when play was reversed in the other direction Larne created the extra man to score in the corner. After a successful conversion Larne had now cut the deficit to 16-14. The Dee once again took play towards the opposition but, with fifty-four minutes played were reduced to thirteen men when skipper Lockhart was yellow carded. With their tails up again, Larne played some hard offensive rugby, but the colossal efforts of the likes of Ally Barnes, Callum Montgomery, Hamilton and Vice-Captain Sam Ingham kept them at bay. Penalty opportunities were missed on both sides and Lockhart returned to the fray only for the Dee to be reduced to thirteen men again when Whiteside was sin-binned for a seat-belt tackle. The Dee now emptied their bench with Bryn Macartney replacing the impressive Jonny Gamble and Jody Newell coming on for Robbie Ingham who had played his part in denying the Larne offensive. Larne launched multiple attacks but were repelled by determined Dee defence – most notably a couple of huge tackles from Newell and openside Robbie Grant. Eventually however the pressure told and with five minutes to go, after what looked to all a knock-on from a Larne attacker the Co. Antrim men scored in bottom right corner. The extras were added by the talented Larne goal-kicker and Donaghadee were now 16-21 behind. Such is the never say die attitude of this young Dee side however that, instead of trying to maintain a losing bonus point, the thirteen men now took play aggressively towards the opposition. Good ground was gained through the efforts of Barnes, Grant, Montgomery, Alexander and the effervescent Beattie. In defending this onslaught Larne lost a man to the bin and eventually, with eighty minutes played the Dee found themselves camped in the opposition red zone. Successive penalties were awarded, and the Dee forged their way towards the Larne line with Montgomery, Chesney, Grant, Hamilton and Barnes particularly prominent. After being denied on a couple of occasions eventually Barnes picked up and used his immense strength and technique to force his way over for the Dee to draw level with the kick to come. McBride duly slotted the extras, and the Dee were now ahead 23-21 as the game moved into injury time. Donaghadee secured the kick-off and made their way towards their ten-metre line in an effort to see the game out. Unfortunately, though the referee spotted a home offence and Larne now had one last chance to snatch victory. The Co. Antrim men elected for the place kick from wide out and, as the onlooking Dee & Larne support held their collective breaths, the difficult effort fell short, and Beattie kicked to the dead ball line for no-side.

A herculean effort then by the Dee men in the most challenging of circumstances. To play twenty minutes of a league game with only thirteen men on the pitch and still come away with four points demands not only immense physical application but also the right mentality to take the win. The home side displayed both characteristics in spades and that will undoubtedly stand them in good stead for the rest of the season. Man of the Match could have been given to any of Lockhart, Chesney, Grant, the outstanding pair of Hamilton & Montgomery, Beattie, Alexander or Sam Ingham but, on this occasion, the award goes to Ally Barnes whose scrummaging, carrying and all-round game was exemplary all afternoon. Also, very worthy of mention is Adam Whiteside who gave an extremely assured performance at No. 10 on his debut.

Next Saturday the 1st XV travel to Lurgan for the second league game of the season – kick-off 2:30pm