Last Wednesday saw the first of the Community Cup Quarter Finals as Portadown took on Dromore at both U14 and U16 levels.

The U16 match in particular was a hard fought affair, with Dromore having most of the possession but Portadown ultimately making the most of their chances. In the first half, Portadown looked to bring their backs into play where possible, with their outside centre looking particularly dangerous. After one break Portadown were awarded a penalty which was duly convertedIndeed, it was then the No 13 for Portadown who opened the try scoring when a long arcing run took him around the Dromore cover and in at the corner.

With the conversion missed there was no further score in the first half which ended with Portadown 8 points up. They added to this lead soon after halftime when their winger squeezed in at the corner to take the lead to 13 points. From that point on it became a matter of Portadowns defence against Dromores repeated attacks, aminly through the forwards.

A few opportunities were lost through knock ons but finally Dromore got across the Portadown line with 5 minutes to go. Unfortunately, the twice taken conversion was missed, and although a second try followed within minutes it proved ultimately too late as Portadown ran out 13-10 winners and will now play Enniskillen or Monaghan in the Semi Final in early December. Congratulations to both teams for a hard fought and entertaining game.  

At U14 level it was much more clear cut as Dromore comprehensively dominated the game. With a strong set of forwards and strong running backs, only some excellent last ditch defence from Portadown and some mistakes from Dromore kept the score down.

However, Dromore scored twice in each half with one successful conversion to leave the final score 22-0 in their favour. Dromore now go forward to the U14 semis where they will also play either Enniskillen or Monaghan in early December.