Fourths through to Forster Cup semis

It was a great day for rugby and the conditions suited the younger Coleraine side who ran in four tries in the second half to finish off Dromore’s cup challenge. From the start Coleraine attacked but much of their effort was in vain as the experienced Dromore pack absorbed most of the pressure.

Coleraine’s back row trio of Andy Draycott and the Neely Brothers, Andy and Graeme were full of energy and tried their best to break the line. Whilst good ground was made the home side could not capitalize on their possession.

Dromore were well drilled and put up a strong defence and the only try of the first half went to them. They managed to create a gap for their right wing to run in under the posts.

The score was converted to make it 7-0. The score was against the run of play and was a wake up call for the home team to change their tactics.

In the second half the home side started to spread the ball around. This stretched the heavy Dromore pack and as a result they started to wilt under the pressure.

Good breaks by Soupy Campbell, Robert Andrews and Josh McCabe had shown a weakness in the visitor’s backline and it was only a matter of time before the scores came.

From an attacking ruck on Dromore’s 22, Soupy Campbell picked up and spotted a front row forward in the defensive line. Having passed him, he drew in the blindside winger and offloaded to Johnny Warke who finished well evading the last ditch tackle on the line. The conversion was missed.

Both sides battled hard but Coleraine were gaining more possession and it was only a few minutes later when they got their second.

Clive McLaughlin was sent clear by a great bit of vision from Willy Cooper. His pass gave Clive a clear run in. Again the conversion was missed but there was more to come.

Soupy Campbell had been a thorn in the side for Dromore all day. He managed to spot many gaps in Dromore’s defence and finally got his just reward with an excellent individual try. A couple of dummies and side steps saw him finish across the line.

John Mc Clelland converted and followed up with a penalty not long after to bring the score to 20-7.

As a win was sensed by the home team every effort went into the final 10 minutes. The front five of Burgess, Dixon, Cooper, Scott and Andrews continued to pound the Dromore pack and some great tackling in the backs by Glen Millar, Josh McCabe, John McClelland and Simon Caulfield halted any attempt Dromore made to play.

The final score came from another pass from Campbell who found Graeme Neely taking a great line to finish on a canter below the posts. The final score Coleraine 27 Dromore 7.

This was another inspiring team performance and the manager Andy McAuley is relishing the opportunity to play Enniskillen Thirds away in the next round.

He said after the game that the team spirit was bubbling over and he had high hopes for the team in the semi-final clash. “It will be a tough away game but we have come too far to let this opportunity slip away,” he promised.