City of Derry Rugby Club will be hoping to continue their recent run of Cup successes when they return to Ravenhill on Thursday night to play Dungannon in the First Trust Senior Cup Final, Kick-off; 7.30pm. This will be Derry’s third appearance in a Senior Cup Final having been beaten by Collegians in 1983 and winning against Dungannon in the Season 2009-2000. City of Derry will be hoping to repeat their success of 99 by once again lowering the colours of Dungannon and reliving a magical moment in the Club’s history when Keith Gallick scored a memorable try that helped bring the Cup to the Maiden City for the first time to initiate wild scenes of jubilation.
Queens Rugby are on form and the pictures above are the thriller from Judges road at the weekend between Queens & City Of Derry.
Derry’s first appearance in a Cup Final in 1983 was marked by the BBC covering the occasion for their iconic “Rugby Special” Programme with Nigel Starmer Smith. Derry were leading with ten minutes to go but a late try saw Collegians win the day by 11pts to 6pts. The City of Derry Team on the day included the same players and coaching staff that had won promotion back to Senior Rugby in 1980 just in time for the Clubs Centenary in 1981.
The team were coached by Brian Mooney who brought our own legendary Irish International and British Lion Ken Goodall surreptitiously back into the fold to help while still banned from the Amateur game because of playing Rugby League. Derry were captained by Ian Crowe from the back row and included; Tommy Diver, Charlie Chada, John Craig, Mark McFeely, Moss Dineen, Robert Thompson, Russell Barr, Gerald McCarter, Jess Greenwood, John Semple, Hugh Hunter, Charlie McCartney, Adrian Cummings, Ivan Lapsley, Richard Wiley, Ian Warnock, Ian Anthony and David Cummings.
City of Derry’s most successful Season ever was 1999-2000 with Gerald McCarter, Mark McFeely and Ricky Huey as Coaches. Derry won the Ulster League and Cup Double, both titles being won for the first time ever by the Club. They also had an outstanding AIL Campaign that season finishing fourth in AIL Division 2 when they beat among others clubs Old Belvedere, Greystones, UCC, Galwegians, UCD and Blackrock who had Leo Cullen and Shane Byrne. UCC had Peter Stringer, Mick O’Driscoll and Jerry Flannery while Galwegians had Eric Elwood and Bective had one Trevor Brennan.
Derry were captained that year by Robbie Millar and defeated Dungannon in the Cup Final by 22pts to 18pts with try’s from Neil Beddow, Neil Stewart and Keith Gallick. They had a strong pack that included prop Chris Budgen who went on to play for Northampton the following year and now at the age of 37 is still plying his trade with Exeter in the English Premiership. The other props were Jarleth Carey who played for Rotherham and Ulster and probably the best of the three James Allen who was technically gifted with innate strength. The backs had Seamus Mallon who went on to play for Northampton and Ulster. The other Ulster players in the team were Ian Orr, Stephen Smith, Neil Stewart and Keith Gallick. The team was Ian Orr, James Moore, Richard Beggs, Seamus Mallon, Neil Beddow, Stephen Smith, Archie Kettyle, James Allen, Robbie Millar, Jarleth Carey, Eoin Lafferty, Roger Roulstone, Neil Stewart, Keith Baldrick, Keith Gallick, Chris Budgen, Sean O’Kane, Michael Black, David Hunter, Richard Allen.
City of Derry booked their place in this years final when they comprehensively defeated Ballynahinch in the Semi Final at the beginning of November. Hinch travelled to Derry unbeaten in all competitions this season and sitting proudly on top of All Ireland League Division 2 and rated the best team in Ulster with a number of their players making the Senior Ulster Team. City of Derry produced one of the finest displays ever seen at Judges Road when after going behind to a converted try following the first play of the game. They were behind by 12pts to 6pts after the first quarter and they then scored twenty nine unanswered points to run out convincing winners by 35pts to 12pts. Derry had try’s from Peter Henderson, Captain Sam McAuley, Tom Patton and Jack Caithness and out half Richard Peoples kicked three penalties and three conversions for a personal tally of 15pts.
Derry’s record over the last two seasons since they were relegated from Senior Rugby in season 2007-2008 has been phenomenal to say the least. Derry have won the Ulster Qualifying Junior League for the last two years in a row and along the way they won every Cup Competition they entered including, The Ulster Junior Cup, Towns Cup and All Ireland Junior Cup and along with that success they also won promotion back to All Ireland League Division 3 last season. City of Derry are currently in second position in the All Ireland League Division 3 while Dungannon are in fourth position in All Ireland League Division 1A. The Ulster League sees Dungannon in top spot with Derry in third place still unbeaten having played fewer games. Derry defeated Dungannon away in the league at the end of September by 27pts to 21pts and they will be hoping to repeat that victory on Thursday night.
The City of Derry coaching team of Bevan Lynch as Head Coach along with Terry McMaster and Mark Nicholl his Assistant Coaches will be hoping for more Cup success that would crown a great season to date which has seen only one reversal against Greystones in the AIL. The style and brand of rugby currently being coached and played by this special squad of players has created halcyon days at City of Derry Rugby Club for the last three seasons that will live in the memory forever. The journeys destination this season will hopefully be promotion to All Ireland League Division 2 and Cup success this week would see a fork in the road that would beckon an All Ireland Cup Semi-Final.
City of Derry Team V Dungannon, From; Chris Shields, David Witherow, Stephen Duffy, Sam McAuley, Sam Duffy, Chris Cooper, Philip Brady, David Houston, Tom Patton, Bob McKillop, Richard Baird, Stephen Corr, Stephen Simms, Stepehen Ferguson, Andrew Semple, Ritchie McMaster, Richard Peoples, Ryan Campbell, David Murdock, Simon Logue, David Funston, Stuart Thompson, William McCleery, Peter Henderson.
