:: Dungannon Rugby Club :: by stagetimes.com

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Return of the Earls / Nelson Cup Ten-a-Side Tournament

The Return of the Earls Trophy and Nelson Cup ten-a-side competition was deservedly won by Omagh under the captaincy of Stephen Giboney.
Due to a last minute withdrawal the format of the competition was revised and our thanks go to all the participants for accommodating the changes without complaint. The games were very competitive and praise is due to Gavin Stinson and his Cookstown team who were by far the most improved team at Stevenson Park. After a series of matches Omagh emerged as victors when they beat Dungannon in the final. Our thanks also to tournament referees Norman Thompson and Laurence Norwood who certainly worked and sweated hard throughout the afternoon.
After receiving the Return of the Earls Trophy the Omagh captain Steven Giboney thanked Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council for supporting the competition and the opposing teams for making the afternoon memorable for Omagh Rugby Club.
Former Dungannon Club President Pat Nelson stated that is was good to seen the Nelson Cup being shared around the participating clubs. This sentiment was echoed by current Dungannon President Fred McManus who thanked all the participants and those who helped over the weekend.
Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council Mayor Councillor Jim Hamilton emphasised the benefits of sport to the community and reminded everyone that 2007 will be the four hundredth anniversary of the Flight of the Earls and he hopes to see big crowds in the Borough next year to help with the celebrations.
With twenty-nine players touring to Canada and ten at the Ophir sevens Dungannon were stretched especially after the injury to Darren Simpson and Brian Simpson in the Friday night game. However Geoffrey Blair and Oliver Donnelly joined in at late notice to bolster the squad.
Dungannon played well but the squad was too small to give the players sufficient recovery time to sustain their efforts over the length of the tournament. Chris Blair was Gannon’s outstanding player closely followed by Gary Maxwell and Jonny Peyton, two budding centres! The players ran themselves into the ground and are to be commended for their efforts. Next year we want the Trophy and the Nelson Cup back in Stevenson Park.
Dungannon Squad: Oliver Donnelly, Stefan Kerr, Geoffrey Blair, Gary Maxwell, Jonny Peyton, Chris Blair, Richard Wright, Stephen Sands, David Reid, Alan Millar, Paul Montgomery, Gareth Richardson (Captain), Stephen Donaghy.

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