Dohertyproud ofplayers

The two teams can now both lay claim to the Powerade Towns Cup after their game ended with honours even, despite such a high scoring game. The match itself finished 28-28, with two tries scored in the dying minutes of the game.

“For the neutral, it must have a great game to watch,” said City of Derry Seconds coach James Doherty. “It was one of those games that could have went either way, with great forward play from both teams the whole way through.

“We went behind early on and it wasn’t until the second half that we finally went in front. The boys put in a tremendous performance to manage a draw with a team like Ballyclare who are playing so many divisions above them.

“For a Second team to get to the final and to get a result like that against a team like Ballyclare, it just shows the strength in depth we have here.”

The match itself was perhaps one of the most frantic in recent years, with City of Derry Seconds scoring a try with just minutes left of injury time on the clock, before Ballyclare scored a try of their own in dramatic fashion to claw back the draw with next to no time remaining.

James Doherty said: “The draw was probably the fairest result. It wouldn’t have been fair for either team to have walked off there as runners-up.”

Things are looking bright for City of Derry Rugby Football Club, he said, with such a strong group pushing for places in the First XV.

“They are definitely pushing on and hoping to get into the Firsts. There is a good mix of youth and experience there. You have the likes of some of the boys who have played in the first team before and they have that experience there.

“You also have the likes of a few of the young guys hoping to push on. You have guys like Ross Harkin, David Murdoch and Adam Blair. They are all young guys who could be making that step up.”

The celebrations went on alongside the Ballyclare players, although Doherty admitted that at the end neither side knew whether they should celebrate at sharing victory or be dissapointed at just drawing the game. He said: “It was all a bit surreal at the end. I was trying to think of when the last time there was a draw in the final and I don’t remember ever seeing the cup being shared before.

“It is a rare occurrence for the two teams to draw, especially in such a high scoring game. At first we didn’t know whether to celebrate or be disappointed for just drawing.

“The Ballyclare guys invited us all back to the clubhouse for a bite to eat and a few beers. That was great – it is one of the good things about rugby.”

He concluded: “I am extremely proud of the guys for their performance. I would also like to thank the rest of the club for their support – Mark Nicholl and Ashley Blair, the club’s administrators and everyone else. There is a lot of effort throughout the club and this isn’t something that happens in isolation.”