How Medallion side got to their first ever final

This was first time the school had reached a final of any of the two major trophies available at this age group. The team has had a very successful season with a record of P18 W14 D2 L2, scoring 67 tries with the only two defeats against Wallace HS (who shared the Medallion Shield) and Regent House.

In fact Wallace were the only school to score more than two tries and prevent Dromore from scoring. Notable wins came against Royal School Armagh, Sullivan Upper, Regent House, Larne GS, Grosvenor GS and Down HS.

In the Medallion Shield third round the team were paired with Sullivan Upper, coached by Ireland legend Willie Anderson. In a close match Dromore led 12-0 thanks to tries from Mark Cunningham and Jonathan Andrews as well as a Ryan Cobb kick before conceding late tries to win 12-10.

In the fourth round the boys missed opportunities to reach the Shield QF in both the first match (10-10), before losing out to a late kick in the replay as they went down 13-10

This meant that Dromore were faced with a quarter-final Plate match against Larne GS. A fantastic and overwhelming performance, particularly by the pack, saw the boys ease to a 39-five rout.

In the semi-final, despite going behind to an early score against Ballyclare HS, the team rallied to tie the scores at 7-7 by half time. Dromore increased the pressure in the second half to seal a well deserved victory and ensure a first-ever final.

Squad: Forwards – Jonathan Andrews (c), Andrew Sleator, Kenneth Wiltshire, Andrew Martin, Lee Geddis, Peter Ireland, Luke Curlett, Richard Pickering, James Sloan, Timothy Savage, Aaron Crawford, Nathan Connery. Backs – Dale Johnston, Matthew McDonald, Ryan Cobb, Mark Cunningham, Matthew Rowan, Ryan Jackson, Grant Dillon, Dylan Linton, David Cantley, Jason Gribbon.