| HOME OF DROMORE RFC |
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| BARBAN HILL |
Dromore hosted Academy
at Barban Hill on sat in both teams first competitive fixture of the 2010/2011 season. Coach Benade had selected
a strong pack with Gary Hall making his debut at No 8, one day after his wife presented him with a baby daughter.
Dromore
attacked well from the start and it was clear both sides had done their homework and well organised defences cancelled out
most scoring opportunities. A break on the blind side by Jonny McKnight on half an hour led to Dromore's first try, he
fed James Frame who took play up until the ' 22 where he timed his pass perfectly to put the impressive Gary Hall in for
the try, Sammy Russell missed the conversion and Dromore were 5 - 0 up.
The Academy side continued to run their
patterns at the Dromore team but could not make a break through, turnover ball saw Harshaw explode from the side of a ruck
close to halfway and he fed Lloyd McDonald who raced over for Dromore's second try, again the conversion was missed.
Academy
completed the scoring before half time with a well struck penalty 10 - 3 at the break.
Academy came hard at Dromore
in the second half , they controlled possession for most of the half but could only manage one more penalty, Dromore's
impressive tackling and organised defense held firm and they held out for a victory 10 - 6.
Chris Brigl looked sharp
in the backline and Gary Hall was the pick of the pack, although Stephen Robinson, Simon Beattie, Patton and Campbell worked
tirelessly in defence, Adam McDonald took an early knock to the shoulder but bravely battled on for the team.
Coach
Benade said after the game " I'm happy with a win here today, but the Academy team deserve credit because they
asked alot of questions of us, we have alot to work on before we make the trip to Limavady next sat but were back with a win
which is important"
DROMORE 2s 8 - 8 PORTADOWN 3s
Dromore 2s got their season underway
with a 8all draw gainst Portadown 3s, Craig Williams kicked a penalty to add to a Kyle Copeland try.
DROMORE RFC
SAT 11th Sept 2011
Dromore 1st XV v Limavady
RFC
QUALIFYING LEAGUE
KO at 2.30pm
Pre Season Training for 2010/2011
TUES and THURS nights at 7pm
sharp
SAT mornings at 10am sharp
Dromore RFC Head Coach Jacques Benade has been busy with his preparations for the 2010/2011 season,
he has secured the signings of 6 new players to the hill, with exciting back Chris Leathem making the short move from Banbridge
and Chris Brigl joining as outhalf from Ballymena. The pack will be bolstered by Simon Beattie from Malone, Stephen Robinson
from Belfast Harlequinns and Alan Campbell and Kirk Frame complete the signings both from Ballymena. Jacques said " I
have added these new signings to complement the talent already present at the club, we found out last season that our squad
was too small to compete in league and cup fixtures and this year we will venture into the All Ireland cup as well so a big
squad will be required if we are to build on the successes of last season. Our 2s and Under 19s will be pushing hard for places
on the firsts and good players thrive in a competitive atmosphere."
Pre season training will start on
Thurs 15th July at 7pm sharp with friendlies arranged for 14th Aug and 21st Aug, before the league campaign begins on
Sat 28th Aug 2010.
| DRFC 2s HARDEN CUP WINNERS 2010 |
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| CHAMPS! |
HARDEN CUP FINAL - BARBAN HILL SAT 8th MAY 2.30 KO
HARDEN CUP VICTORY FOR DROMORE SECONDS. Barban Hill hosted the Harden cup final on Saturday between Dromore
2’s and Grosvenor 2’s. With a sun soaked setting and arguably the largest crowd of the season, the scene was set
for a great contest. Grosvenor had reached the final by Knocking out Ballynahinch, whilst Dromore overcame a strong Omagh
side. A nervous start saw Dromore under pressure from the Grosvenor pack. Dromore game
plan had been to offer an all out assault from the start, though this was proving difficult. As Grosvenor moved towards the
Dromore goal line, a turnover ruck, summonsied the turnaround. Stevie Nolan received the ball, kicked downfield was collected
by Ally Kinghan who scored under the posts. Stevie Nolan converted the try, 7-0, Dromore. This
score was the catalyst for Dromore seconds to play some of the best rugby of the season. From the kick off they rampaged through
Grosvenor rewarded with a further two tries from flanker Kyle Patton and winger Andy McNeice. Grosvenor were reeling but kept perservering against a relentless Dromore. The half finished 28-0 with a second try
from Kyle Patton following quick ruck ball from a Dromore turnover. The second half saw Grosvenor
score a try early in the half with some sloppy defence from Dromore, allowing their number 10 to finish a good move in the
corner. Realising that there was still rugby to be played and with help of the partisan crowd,
Dromore responded surging towards the Grosvenor line with fine run from winger Andy Graham resulting in a five yard scrum.
The forwards called the move and with a pick up from Adam McGregor and inside pass, put Stuart Russell in for a well taken
try. Grosvenor persisted in trying to disrupt the Dromore game plan, but found the Dromore
side more than a match. Dromore by this stage had emptied their replacements bench putting fresh legs on for the final quarter.
With a renewed vigour Dromore pressed forward once again. Dromores last try was a second for Ally Kinghan, which was probably the pick of the bunch. The
Dromore forwards had moved into the Grosvenor twenty two, a scrum was called which Dromore won, pass to the backs, and a miss
move allowed Ally to score. Stevie Nolan
converted the try bringing the score to 42-5 with 10 minutes to go. The match finished with the
crowd looking for more scores but it was Grosvenor who had the final say with a converted try in the dying seconds of the
match, and with the conversion the final whistle. Dromore lifted the Harden cup with an emphatic 42-12 victory
over Grosvenor. Captain Keith Watson felt the team had saved the best to last with a fine display in front of the home crowd.
The cup was presented by Ulster Branch vice president Harry McKibben to Dromore captain Keith Watson and Roger Erwin. With
a mighty cheer from the crowd and shower of champagne, this was a day for Dromore Rugby club to remember. Special mention must also be made to Grosvenor who agreed to play the match at Barban Hill. This
cup victory has come on the back of winning the Section 3 league title, having only been beaten once in 22 outings. Thanks
throughout the season to captain Keith Watson, Roger Erwin, managers Johnny McNeill, Garth Brown and all the players who have
helped to make this an incredible 2009/2010 season.
| Harden Cup |
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| Keith Watson receives the cup from Harry Mckibben fom the Ulster Branch |
| TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| Ali KIngan scores to the delight of Watsy |
| DRFC u19s |
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| Nutty Crust U19 CHAMPIONS |
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| Captain Kirk receives the cup to send DRFC U19s into orbit |
DROMORE RFC U19s have had a busy end to their season, Captained by Ulster Under 20 squad
member Jamie Kirk they have reached not 1 but 2 cup finals, a large local crowd turned up at Ravenhill on Tues night
to watch their match against local rivals Ballynahinch, although the boys did themselves and the club proud they lost an epic
battle 17 - 6. Their disappointment was short lived as they beat Coleraine 14-7 in the final of the Nutty Crust Tournament
on tues night. In front of a large crowd they battled like demons and tries from Daniel Cummins and James Gibson at the
death saw them lift the trophy from Ulster players Isaac Boss and Andrew Trimble. Well Done Lads!
Well done to Junior Ulster who defeated Connaught 37-23 in their inter pro series match. Dromore Head Coach
Jacques Benade coached the team which included 7 Dromore players. Jonny Murray, Michael Harshaw, Jonny Simpson made it a Dromore
front row, while Tom Finn, James Thompson, Gareth Martin and Claude Crawford played in the backs. The Juniors now head to
Limerick on Sat 1st May to tackle Munster Juniors.
All Ireland Cup Rugby returns to Barban Hill
Dromore RFC 1st XV having secured
a top 4 finish in the Qualifying 1 league have qualified for the Junior All Ireland Cup competition for 2010/11 season. Director
of Rugby Jeremy Ogle said " this was an objective we set ourselves at the start of our league campaign and it has been
satisfying to meet this goal. We have played in and enjoyed this competition before and it will give our players a taste of
All Ireland rugby all be it in a cup format"
Dromore 2nd XV secured the Junior League 3 league title and promotion on 17th
April when a young side captained by veteran Roger Erwin beat Academy 2s a Roughfort. They now go into the Harden Cup
which sees the league winners from the 5 Junior leagues play off. Dromore will play Omagh 3s in the semi-final on 1st May
2010.
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| Gareth Fitzpatrick in action |
