Beddow’s pride after City of Derry held by Strabane in thrilling NW derby
Neil Beddow said he was full of pride after watching his City of Derry team - which finished with four teenagers - come within seconds of inflicting a first defeat of the season on Championship Two leaders, Strabane.
The north west rivals produced a sensational showpiece for junior rugby at Judges Road on Saturday, the lead changing hands five times in a game which produced seven tries and six yellow cards.
Virgil Grootboom's 86th minute try, converted by compatriot Christiaan Grobbler, finally secured a thrilling draw for Neville Magee's visitors but even that late drama wasn't enough to take the shine of a performance Beddow believes deserved five points.
"Pride," was the Derry Head Coach's response when asked his feelings up after the 24-24 draw, "I'm quite emotional to be honest. We have had a difficult couple of weeks with unavailability so it's just good for the lads to put a bit of pride into the jersey. "I genuinely believe we deserved all five points and, yes, they have scored at the end but I said to the guys in the (post-match) circle, that doesn't deter from the previous 80 odd minutes of sheer guts, heart, determination.
"We have given Peter Danowski the 'Man of the Match. At 18 years of age, to be in the front row, with a 19-year-old in Tom Beddow and all other youth throughout the team; Ryan Higgins at 22; Jack Sproule coming in for his first start at 18.... I can have nothing but pride in that display.
"A couple of the young lads were nervous before the game, they were very anxious about getting into it but they will not be as anxious the next time. That game can only lead them on to good things moving forward because it is difficult for any 18 or 19-year old coming in and playing against a seasoned team. Strabane are seasoned opposition and they have had good results at the start of the season. "At 24-24, it doesn't disappoint me too much that we have dropped it there at the end, that we couldn't hold out because I believe we can take our three points and use this to push on."
Derry got off to the worse possible start as Strabane's brilliant scrum half Grootboom scored inside 90 seconds in a first half that saw yellow cards for Derry's Jack Sproule and Strabane duo Tom McGilloway and Adrian Crumley, the latter's indiscretion coming only seconds before a Jamie Millar try ensured the teams couldn't be separated at 7-7 at half-time.
"It was a brilliant response but you know what, Strabane's first scored was a bit symptomatic of us this season and the fact that they didn't create that try," admitted Beddow.
"We had secured the ball at the back of the ruck; loose foot kicks the ball out for them. They secure it and they end up scoring but you know what.... I couldn't have asked for any more fight after it.
"And to be down to 13 men there at the end.... and the decision and the contact that we made, the collisions... we ultimately ran out of a wee bit of legs in the last minute but again, I cannot take anything away from the lads. To get three points and score four tries against a team that have dropped only one point in the league this season, that gives us nothing but confidence moving forward into Carrick in a two weeks time."
Derry led 12-7 early in the second half before losing both try scorer Simon Logue and Lewis Morton to injury as the excellent Grobbler had Straabne back in front at with a try he scored and converted. Gabriel Evans' try then swung things back Derry's direction before a Grobbler pen tied things at 17-17. A third Strabane yellow card, this time for No. 8 Alru Goos, preceded a fantastic Mark Scott try and conversion which looked to have secured Derry the victory.
However late yellow cards for Cathal Cregan and Tiarnan Dillon as Strabane laid siege to the Derry line saw Grootboom strike and Strabane escape thanks to Grobbler's conversion.
"To go 12-7 up and lose someone of the calibre of Simon (Logue) was hard but you know what, young Jack (Sproule) slipping from 15 to 9; Jamie (Millar) jumping from 9 to 10, young Rio (Oxley) coming on a 15; at one point having to put Gary McKinley out on to the wing..... had anyone told you that's how the game was going to play out, you wouldn't have believed them because we just had bodies everywhere," added Beddow "We have taken people off in substitutions, then we've had yellow cards and had to send them back on cold and they've delivered everything we would want. I'm sure in the cold light of day, there will be some disappointment (that we didn't win) but at this moment in time, it's only pride in those boys.
"There is huge potential at the club and again, we are in a difficult scenario with the age demographic. We've talked about youth but we also have a lot of senior guys in the club with work commitments, family commitments and all the rest of it. It's just trying to bridge that gap but we are bridging it and that should give the guys confidence. It should give the guys we are missing a boost too. "We were missing five or six first class wingers, centres and 15s, all unavailable and those young fellas went out and delivered that against a team that really hadn't set a foot wrong all season."
City of Derry: Gabriel Evans, Tom Beddow, Peter Danowski, Gary McKinley, Johnny Sproule, Tiarnan Dillon, Ryan Higgins, Stephen Corr, Jamie Millar, Simon Logue, Benn Henderson, Mark Scott, Nathan Cole, Lewis Morton Jack Sproule. (Replacements) Cathal Cregan, Isaiah Morris, Rio Oxley.
Strabane: Tom McGilloway, Ryan McKittrick, Callum Kelly, Conor Huey, Jack Graham, Reuben Orr, Jake McDevitt, Alru Goos, Virgil Grootboom, Johnny Orr, Hayden Scott, James Perry, Hanro Gous, Adrian Crumley, Christiaan Grobbler. (Replacements) James Hamilton, Adam Woods, William Finley.
Referee: Mark Millar