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League Match: Donaghadee II's 10 - 13 Portadown III's (04/09/99)
"SECONDS SNATCH DEFEAT
Donaghadee Seconds played very well for 75 minutes on Saturday against Portadown Thirds. Unfortunately a rugby match lasts for 80 minutes. Whether it was the unusual heat was to blame, Donaghadee allowed a 10-3 advantage to disappear right at the end of normal time. Chris Russell had earlier scored a fine try, converted by Nick Lord, and Neil Kerr had kicked a penalty goal. But, thanks to a lapse in collective concentration, the Donaghadee defence let in the opposition for a converted try.
This was bad enough, but in the referee's added-on injury time Portadown contrived a drop goal to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It is trite to say it but this team could gain greatly from more frequent attendance at mid-week training. It would bolster their stamina levels, breed even better team identity, improve enjoyment and benefit the whole club. Rugby football really is more enjoyable when you play it well. There is no doubt that this is a good Donaghadee team. There is plenty of talent in the side. The club coaches have all of them in mind as cover for the first team. Perhaps a little more application, and determination to get to Monday and/or Wednesday training, and this game's disappointments will not recur."
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League Match: Ballyclare III's 23 - 0 Donaghadee II's (11/09/99)
"SECONDS WELL BEATEN
On a poor, drizzly day the Second Fifteen travelled to Ballyclare for their first league game. The experienced Ballyclare Third team, mainly through their pack, soon took control. With a mixture of good scrummaging and well-organised rolling mauls they soon managed their first try.
Just before the half-time break Donaghadee lost their Number 8, and unfortunately another try too, leaving them 10-0 down. Soon after the re-start Ballyclare scored again. This actually had the effect of kick-starting the Dee men, and they had a phase of much more controlled play for a time. The very flat Ballyclare backline stifled the creative moves, though, and the were soon in the driving seat again. The final score was a disappointing 23-0.
Donaghadee can take some positive points from their second-half performance, but it is obvious to all who were there that the players must train as a team. This will both improve their fitness levels and ensure that team moves are known to all and can be slickly performed. If the players could manage a group training session on a regular basis even once a week at first, it would very soon pay dividends in performance and enjoyment. "
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League Match: Donaghadee II's 19 - 20 Dungannon III's (25/09/99)
"DUNGANNON SNATCH POINTS FROM SECONDS
This match at Donaghadee last Saturday swung like a pendulum. Dungannon took centre stage fot the first period. In fact they played so well during the first half that the teams turned round with Donaghadee on the wrong side of a 17-0 scoreline.
Dungannon came at their hosts so fast at the beginning of the second period that it began to look like they could at least double up the points they collected in the first half. But gradually the men in red and green came back into the game. At first they just were playing as well as their opponents, but in a purple patch they managed to turn some of their best play into concrete scores.
With the Dee forwards working hard and with determination, and the backs starting to run the ball well, in the space of a few short minutes Donaghadee managed to run in three well-worked tries. The scorers were Robin Flanagan, Darren Jones and Luke Turkington, but all the tries were the result of terrific team play.
Dungannon must have felt like the European Ryder Cup team did the following day, realising that their 17 point advantage was wiped out, and with only a minute or two left the scoreline now read 19-17 to Donaghadee. But fair play to them, the men from Tyrone kept at it. Just as the home supporters were wishing the ref would blow for the finish, he did blow. Unfortunately his whistle was for a line-out infringement to Donaghadee. From the resulting free kick the ball was fed to the Dungannon outside half, who needed no encouragement to drop a goal. The whistle sounded again, but this time for no-side, and sadly for Donaghadee the match was lost.
This has the makings of a good Donaghadee team. They can prepare to visit Ballynahinch next Saturday knowing they will not be so unlucky again. The increased interest in training and in getting fit is having results. The players know it helps. "
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League Match: Donaghadee II's 18 - 17 Coleraine III's (16/10/99)
"SECONDS COME BACK TO WIN
When this game began at the Newtownards Road grounds it was the visitors, Coleraine III who were first on the scoreboard with a penalty goal. It seemed like the writing might be on the wall for the Donaghadee men when Coleraine added to this with a converted try which took the score to 10-0.
However it was not long before Robin Flanagan reduced Donaghadee's arrears with a very impressive penalty goal. Just on the stroke of half-time Donaghadee were again rewarded for their efforts when mobile prop, Scott English, popped up on the wing to cross the Coleraine line for another five points.
The local men retained most of the possession in the second period, and following a series of solid scrums, open-side flanker, David McGinty, broke through in the middle of the park to score a fine try which Flanagan duly converted to put Donaghadee in front by 15-10.
They were not to retain this lead for long though. With Donaghadee attacking near their opponents' line, a pass went a little astray and one of the Coleraine centres intercepted and ran the length of the pitch to score beneath the Dee posts.
It looked as though the game had been lost when, ten seconds from time, Donaghadee were awarded a penalty on the touch line. The imperturbable Flanagan steadied himself and converted the goal to make the final score 18-17 in Donaghadee's favour."
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League Match: Belfast Harlequins III's 29 - 17 Donaghadee II's (18/09/99)
"HARLEQUINS DEFEAT SECONDS
Donaghadee Seconds travelled on Saturday to play Belfast Harlequins Thirds. On a blustery day, the home side had soon scored 14 points without reply.
But the Dee men eventually got their set-piece play in order. This worked so well that they soon scored two good tries through John Minnis and Norman Bell. Robin Flanagan converted both of these, and added a penalty goal for good measure. This brought the score to 17-14 to Donaghadee. This did not last for too long as Harlequins kicked a penalty just on half-time to turn the teams round with the scores even.
The new half brought less success to Donaghadee. Two tries went in against them, and, although Donaghadee enjoyed some good possession, they were unable to breech the Harlequins' defence, and the match finished 29 points to 17.
Although there were some changes to the personnel of the Seconds, the team played well for twenty minutes in the first half. Unfortunately they were unable to sustain this for longer."
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League Match: Donaghadee II's 21 - 21 Ballymoney II's (13/11/99)
"The seconds had another of the titanic games that they have become so used to this season as they drew with Ballymoney seconds 21-21. Donaghadee equalised in the last minute with a penalty to save an important league point. The encouraging point to their match was hearing in the bar the discussion of whether they should have kicked their final penalty into the corner to take the line-out and the chance for a try and the win. This confidence is quickly building throughout the team and is a good quality to have but they should all rest assured that taking the shot at goal and picking up that crucial point will prove to be thet best decision as the season wears on."
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League Match: Malone III's 10 - 31 Donaghadee II's (13/11/99)
"GOOD WIN FOR SECONDS
On a cold and blustery day, the Seconds travelled to Gibson Park to play Malone Thirds. The strong Malone pack started with a flurry, and soon were controlling the set pieces.
However the newly-formed Donaghadee front row trio soon had their measure and bagan to take a series of scrums against the head. This almost always produces good ball and the Dee backline now had something to work with. The results were not long in coming, with John Allen scoring a fine try.
An injury to out-half David McCullough led to some team rearrangements among the Donaghadee backs , but this did not disturb the team's play. Soon Davy Moore was giving a kicking display and Darren Jones was showing his powerful running, culminating by the end of the first period with him scoring a brace of tries. Kicks included this took Donaghadee into the break leading by 19 points to Nil.
Malone came out after their half-time team talk with more purpose and once again took early control. This soon resulted in a try to get them off the mark. Donaghadee took this as an affront and within a few minutes were back in the driving seat. Johnny Carlisle, who had a fine game, went over for another try and soon after that Darren Jones completed a hat-trick of tries on the day. Robin Flanagan was successful with his kicking of conversions to give Donaghadee a total of 31 points.
Malone knew they were beaten, but were determined to finish with a flourish. Right at the end they were awarded a scrum five metres out. The power of their scrummage had been their main weapon all day, so they decided to use it and shove the Dee men right over their own line. They secured the ball, set their positions, dipped their backs and went for it. But the Donaghadee pack showed their mettle by digging in, and the scrum stood immobile for what seemed like ages. This was a great boost for future games for this new pack to hold such a concerted drive, but unfortunately Malone, when they eventually realised that the red and green half of the scrum was at least as strong as the white half, released the ball to the scrum half who was able to score without any resistance.
This was an unfortunate end to a great performance by the whole Donaghadee team. All played well but special mention must be made again of the forwards who were heroes on the day. Special thanks must also go to Bill and Jim who accompanied the team."
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Crawford Cup Match: City of Derry III's 7 - 3 Donaghadee II's (08/01/00)
"SECONDS LOSE IN DERRY
As the Donaghadee Club's First Fifteen left to go as far south as possible in Ulster rugby football, the Second team were beginning a similarly long trip to the north of Ulster. When they arrived in the Maiden City it was to discover that there was some difference of opinion as to whether the pitch was actually playable. The flavour of the argument gradually changed from, "This pitch is totally unplayable" to, Well, let's start the match and see how it goes."
As these things always do, this meant that the match was actually on. It soon became a battle of attrition played out on a replica of Flanders fields. Running rugby in the backs, or even stirring forward play was impossible. So cold was it that the players even had difficulty communicating, with their mouths frozen into grimaces and their fingers like claws.
The match was never going to produce a high scoreline. In fact Donaghadee managed only one successful penalty goal by Neil Kerr. Sadly for them they also conceded a try to the home side, when the Derry scrum-half grappled away from Dee hands right on their line and fell over for what was the winning score."
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League Match: Dungannon III's 7 - 3 Donaghadee II's (08/01/00)
"SECONDS GO DOWN TO DUNGANNON
Donaghadee Seconds travelled to Stevenson Park on Saturday to play an experienced-looking Dungannon Thirds in the Junior League. On an excellent pitch the home side started very strongly, scoring two tries in the opening ten minutes. Things were looking ominous for Donaghadee, especially as they lost Jody Waterworth at this time with what later proved to be a broken bone in his hand. Versatile flanker Johnny Carlisle, who had played prop forward the previous week, took Jody's place in the centre, and played with some gusto.
Donaghadee weathered the storm, only conceding one more Dungannon try in the half. Playing against the elements, being 21-0 down at half-time against such a strong team was a fair performance, helped a lot by Nick Lord's excellent line-kicking.
In the second period the experience of Jim Lyttle and of the captain, Ossie Gordon, was put to good use in rallying the forwards to greater efforts to win the backs some possession they could use. However it was really the sight of barrel-chested John Allen tangling with his opposite number, not to mention half of the Dungannon team, which finally inspired the slow-starting Donaghadee men to get some points on the board.
A sweeping movement saw the ball transferred through the hands of all seven Donaghadee backs before Rab Martin rounded the Dungannon winger and the full-back to touch the ball down in the corner. From this point on Donaghadee battled superbly and played as a team, with the forwards cleaning up at the line-out time and again. Theybegan releasing their backs, who made fifty yards of ground at every time of asking. Donaghadee's problem was a lack of a killer instinct when they neared the Dungannon try-line.
Perhaps it was a result of this relentless effort with only fourteen men that Donaghadee's defence collapsed towards the end of the match. Dungannon finished the game as they had started it, with three tries in five minutes.
Strangely, in theaftermath of a 45-5 defeat, the talk among the Dee men was of how many positive things there were in their performance. No one on the Donaghadee team ever gave up, even when under the severe pressure at the end, and indeed Ossie was heard to remonstrate in the changing room afterwards that, "if it hadn't been for Dungannon's three tries at the end, Donaghadee would have won the second half on points!"
Hopefully the Seconds can establish more of the training ethic within the side, and this can become a good team. It already is a side which can win possession of the ball, and with practice should be able to use it more effectively. Players who did catch the eye on Saturday were Girvan Boyle, who ran the ball out of defence very well, Robin Flanagan, who was his usual solid self, and John Carlisle who gave his customary 100% performance. If the team can play with the same commitment in future weeks they should not lose another game this season."
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League Match: Donaghadee II's 11 - 3 Ballynahinch III's (22/01/00)
"DONAGHADEE JUST BEAT BALLYNAHINCH
The weather last Saturday was sunny, but with a cold north wind blowing across the Newtownards Road pitch. However, the underfoot conditions were excellent, and there seemed every liklihood that the game between Donaghadee Seconds and Ballynahinch Thirds would produce an entertaining display of running rugby.
As the first half unfolded there was some good running, but most of it was from the Ballynahinch backs, who were making good use of some well-won ball from their pack. There had been a number of changes to the Donaghadee personnel, mostly in their backs, and this could not have helped their cohesion in attack. It certainly did not harm their defence. The Dee men performed heroically through the half to continually frustrate any thrusts the visitors made.
Donaghadee did make some advances of their own, looking particularly dangerous when forwards and backs combined to force the ball upfield and into the attack zone. After one of these concerted efforts seemed to have been comprehensively stopped dead by Ballynahinch, the ball went to Simon Crowe, who took his time and sent a beautiful drop-kick between the Ballynahinch posts.
This seemed to galvanise the Dee men into greater effort. The burden of the heavy defeat at Ballynahinch now became a goad to gee them up. An attack was mounted which saw the ball passed across the field in as many as three phases, stretching the Ballynahinch defence to breaking point. It was fitting that such a display of team effort should be crowned by the grand sight of the team-captain, Ossie Gordon, crashing over wide out on the left for a stirring score.
No one at that moment would have realised that this was actually the last they were to see that day of skilful, exciting rugby football. There was a penalty goal each in the second half, and there were bits and pieces of good individual play, especially notable being Simon Crowe's line-kicking and John Carlisle's foraging, but, as a spectacle, the match had died. In quick succession Ballynahinch lost two of their players, perhaps most crucially their scrum-half, and from that point on they exercised themselves in damage-limitation.
In this endeavour they most certainly succeeded, but it did nothing for the home spectators who watched the Donaghadee players make error after error with little liklihood of penetrating the now-meagre Ballynahinch defence. Possibly the most frustrating aspect of the home side's play, certainly for this spectator, was to watch from the sidelines while Ballynahinch played for about twenty minutes with two men short and little sign that Donaghadee had noticed. On occasion the visitors scrummed with neither a flanker on the blind side of their scrums nor a blind-side wing with no attempts being made to exploit this weakness. If the Seconds are to improve their personal performance and the team's league position they must not only improve their fitness, which they are no doubt fed up hearing, but the players must be alert to any weakness in their opponents and punish them. This is not poor sportsmanship, it is tactical wareness. A side like Ballynahinch which loses two key players without any possibility of substitution is not only there to be taken, but to be taken apart. There is little doubt that, had the positions been reversed, Ballynahinch would have shown no mercy.
Yes, a win is a win and all that, and the Seconds are to be congratulated on defeating the so-far unbeaten Ballynahinch, but there can have been little other satisfaction in it for them. It is probably fair to say that they played with more ability, and certainly heart, in defeat the week before than they did in this match in victory. Ballynahinch must feel that they did well enough in the circumstances to restrict their defeat to 11-3. Donaghadee Seconds must certainly know that they should have won in better style than they did."
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League Match: Ballymoney II's 8 - 7 Donaghadee II's (12/02/00)
"SECONDS LOSE EVEN MORE NARROWLY.
Donaghadee, fielding a greatly altered team, went into their match with Ballymoney in a determined spirit. In the early exchanges the honours were divided fairly evenly, although Ballymoney did show more vigour in the rucks and with ball in hand. They were first on the scoresheet too, after some fairly poor tackling from Donaghadee. They did miss the conversion, but soon made amends with a penalty to lead 8-0 at the break.
With Donaghadee turning round to have the advantage of the breeze, it looked as though they could catch up and perhaps even pass the Ballymoney score. Unfortunately Donaghadee soon were reduced to fourteen men, with the versatile John Carlisle having to leave the pack in order to perform his usual antics out in the backline. The seven who were left now began to do the work of eight in heroic fashion.
As often happens when a team loses a man, the whole Donaghadee side now began to play well. Good pressure on the Ballymoney line forced a panicked clearance to give Donaghadee a line-out right on their opponents' line. Norman Bell contested strongly, forcing an error from the defence and a loose ball, which J J Kennedy pounced on for a try in the corner. In spite of the poor kicking conditions, Buck Rodgers stepped up and converted this to take the score to a nail-biting 8-7 to Ballymoney.
Although they continued to try manfully, Donaghadee could neither broach the home line, nor contrive a penalty which could have given them the game. Sometimes a defeat by a single point is a rougher result than a comprehensive trouncing. This was the case for the Seconds last Saturday. A win would have been deserved, a draw acceptable, but to be beaten by an odd point was disappointment indeed."
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League Match: Portadown III's 32 - 13 Donaghadee II's (11/03/00)
"SECONDS LOSE AT PORTADOWN
Donaghadee Seconds travelled to Portadown last Saturday to be entertained by their Third Fifteen. Due to most of the Donaghadee team still being on the M1 when the match started (or so it seemed), Portadown made all of the ground and all of the scores in the first thirty minutes. This was not helped by the loss of Hans Arthur early in the half with a nasty eye injury.
With ten minutes of the half remaining the Donaghadee men started to arrive on the park and Bill Allen knocked over two good penalties to take the teams into the interval with Portadown leading by 25 points to six.
After half-time, having now re-organised their team, Donaghadee started to play the game. Danky's throwing was finding Ozzy's hands, and the driving of Jim Lyttle and Sal Wilson now had Portadown struggling backwards. This was giving the backs good ball. Even though he was playing with a damaged wrist, Bill Allen was spinning good ball out wide, allowing the new backline to assert themselves.
Following a clever kick ahead by Bill Allen, John Allen was obstructed close to the Portadown line, and the referee had no hesitation in awarding Donaghadee a penalty try. Athough by now Donaghadee had summoned up some good play and a morale-boosting try, it was Portadown who scored the final try.
Over all, considering the poor first half, this was a good performance by Donaghadee, and the final score of 32 points to 13 did not reflect the whole game. Many thanks to those who agreed to play for the team at the last minute and make their debuts on the Seconds. next week the team plays Belfast Harlequins Thirds in Donaghadee. Never mind the TV rugby, watch the Seconds."
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League Match: Belfast Harlequins III's 40 - 13 Donaghadee II's (11/03/00)
"HARLEQUINS TOO GOOD FOR SECONDS
The Seconds played hosts to Harlequins Thirds on an almost warm afternoon last Saturday, a perfect day for rugby.
Quins started the stronger and quickly scored two tries. A probable explanation for this poor start could be that it was 2.20 pm before Ossie Gordon had a full fifteen to take the field (See below!). When Donaghadee did get their act together they soon kicked a penalty and then scored a beautiful try. Didi McCullough, now coming back into good form after his lay-off, made a good break in midfield and found the ubiquitous John Carlile on his shoulder to continue the move. When the defence closed on Carlile, his team-mate, John Minnis, was on hand to take the ball at pace and sprint over for the try.
After weathering the early storm, and recovering to trail only by 12-8, Donaghadee must have thought that the game might be theirs. Harlequins unfortunately had other ideas, and perhaps an improved game-plan. In short they put together enough impressive football to put another 28 points on their total. It was not all one way traffic, though, because in consolation Donaghadee somehow engineered another fine try to complement the first half effort. The forwards won good ball on their own 10 metre line to release their backs. They skilfully swung the ball across the pitch to John Allen on the wing. He skinned his opposite number on the outside, and just as he was running out of room, he cleverly kicked ahead for Hans Arthur following up to pick up the ball and cross the Harlequins' line.
It must be said that Harlequins were thoroughly worth their good win, even for their speed of thought and deed, especially at any breakdowns. The poor start, the lack of cohesion always present in a team re-organised at the last minute and the noticable deficiency in fitness all hindered Donaghadee from producing their best effort. The season may be approaching its end, but some training in the week is still needed by all players. And remember, the actual experience of training is always more enjoyable as the evenings become warmer and lighter. Why not give it a go and help end the Seconds' season with some good results."