Donaghadee 2nd XV have had a start / stop commencement to the season and after the disappointment of last week's opposition conceding the game the team were keen to get onto the pitch at Donaldson Park and get Season 2019/20 properly underway.

The Dee started strongly and immediately put the men from Belmont under pressure with some controlled driving led by Davy Skipp, Owen Roberts and Phil Collins. Eventually the opposition cracked and gave away a kickable penalty on the 22 metre line. Unfortunately Owen Baillie miscued the kick but the Dee were now encamped in opposition territory. CI showed their experience with some solid defence but, after 16 minutes of play, Dee flanker Ally Barnes picked the ball out of the back of a ruck just inside the CI 10 metre line and after breaking two tackles outsprinted the despairing opposition defence to score to the right hand of the posts. This time Baillie made no mistake with the conversion and the Dee were 7-0 ahead. As the weather worsened from a light drizzle to consistent rain the CIYMS pack decided to take control proceedings and rumbled their way into Donaghadee territory using the rolling maul to great effect. Time and again they struck towards the Dee line but were repulsed through some spirited defence led by flanker James Small who was having an ever increasing influence on the game. Eventually however CI drew level after a superbly executed lineout drive to tie the scores up at 7-7 with 26 minutes played.The Dee returned to the fray with some purpose with impressive halfbacks Aaron Baillie and Andy Monson proving influential in the Dee's attacking efforts. The Dee's linespeed was causing CI some difficulty and a loose kick out of defence found the elusive Dicky Bailey fielding the ball from full-back and after an interchange with Andy McGrugan he outpaced the CI defence and found the supporting Rory Houghton who ran in from 20 metres out to score. Unfortunately he was deemed to have put a foot in touch and the try was disallowed. This turn of events buoyed CI and a succession of penalties brought them into Dee territory and eventually a home indiscretion allowed them to take a 10-7 lead when they kicked the ensuing penalty. On the cusp of halftime scrum-half Baillie broke and found the supporting Monson who nudged a grasscutter through the CI defence towards the tryline. Donaghadee won the race to the touchdown but unfortunately the referee deemed the ball to have been over the deadball line and halftime was reached with the home side three points down having had two tries disallowed.

With only three minutes played in the second half Donaghadee won a penalty and Monson assumed the kicking role to draw the Dee level with an excellent kick from just inside the tram lines. With six minutes of the second half played the Dee played their best rugby of the afternoon and successive phases employing some great hands eventually found the the ball reaching No. 8 Gareth Martin who forced his way over in the corner. The conversion was missed but Donaghadee were now in the lead by a five point margin. The inclement weather was continuing to worsen and this impacted on the game with it now turning into an attritional affair which suited the visitors style of play. Their big and experienced pack now attempted to dominate proceedings and found a degree of success but some superb work in ruck and maul from the home eight kept the marauding Belmont men at bay with Barnes, Roberts ad Skipp to the fore in the forward exchanges and Andy Molyneaux & Tommy Scullion disrupting the opposition lineout. The Dee themselves had opportunities to stretch their lead but were denied by the visitors aggressive defence. With five minutes to play a mix-up at the back of the Dee scrum allowed the CI scrumhalf to beak and the sideline support feared the worst. Somehow, however, the Dee's scramble defence managed to stymie the CI attack and the remainder of the game was played out with the home side desperately defending their line. It was with some relief that the referee's whistle for no side was welcomed with the home side running out victors by 15-10.

Team manager Tom Northey will have been pleased with the victory which now means the 2nd XV lie third in the league having taken 9 points from three games. Man of the Match was keenly contested with the likes of Small, Roberts and Aaron Baillie to the fore. On this occasion however the award goes to Ally Barnes whose attacking threat allied to his great work on floor was key to his side's victory.